In My Mind's Eye
by bladewielder05
Summary: Dark magic is always stronger on Hallows' Eve and the famed fortuneteller is no exception. Only certain people get to have their fortunes told, fortunes that always come true. The clairvoyant lets her son choose those lucky few. And for that year's Halloween, he found four people to have their fates sealed. Four friends he liked very much. For LunaticFromTheSun's Halloween Contest.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back-ish! So here's my entry to LunaticFromTheSun's Halloween Contest. Initially, I was going to go with an idea along the lines and title of "The Monster Under My Bed Is Moving", but after a while, I drew inspiration from something else and weighed my options between that story and this story. After a long debate with myself, I finally decided to use this story, even though I started on the other (RIP headstarts). Perhaps I will make a prequel explaining why things are how they are in this story titled the former mentioned. Eventually...who knows? Anyways, hope I'll be able to finish this in time, hope you guys enjoy and hope you guys get slightly unnerved. Besides, that's what Halloween's for, right? Anyways, to my competitors reading this (which they usually do, and when they do, I say hi!) good luck to you guys as well, and may the best writer win!**

 **Another note: F!Robin is Roseclere, M!WiiFitTrainer is William**

* * *

Chapter 1

The first holiday the students looked forward to after the first few months of high school (depending on how early they started) was Halloween. That bitter sweet day of scares and cavities raked in plenty of business for those stores that chose to participate in such dealings and decorate their surroundings with skulls and pumpkins made to give little children nightmares and fear entering the stores at all. Peach had no problems with those decorations, webs and all, and actually tried to convince the student body to decorate their school with their own versions of Halloween knickknacks. That idea barely reached the vice-president, something that hurt the always-pink-cladded girl on a deep personal level considering how her boyfriend was the student president. Peach moaned and sobbed to her friends of her woes like the drama queen she was born and raised to be. At the beginning, her friends took it with an amused grain of salt. However as the days drew near to the desired holiday, her friends couldn't take her bemoans any longer. Even though they knew that once the month was over she would return to her happy-go-lucky self, they couldn't stand listening to her complain how unfair the school was and how back at her elementary school they decorated the halls with spider webs and paper ghosts every day they meet with each other.

Roseclere flicked her eyes towards the class clock and saw that they still had plenty of time before first period started. She then turned her disapproving eye at her sighing friend, closing her book for once. "Come on, Peach. You should have known that they wouldn't have allowed Halloween decorations here. It could disrupt the classes."

"I know," Peach exhaled noisily and ruefully. "But what's the point of celebrating Halloween without the decorations?" Her albino friend had to laugh at that.

"You've always been a fan of decorating the most random things. I still have that glitter crayon you made for me in third grade."

"Eh, cheer up, Peach," Shulk turned around to grin at his two friends. "At least our teachers are gonna give us extra credit if we dress up on Halloween. You can be a princess again."

"I guess so…" the girl sighed again. Her two friends exchanged a quick look. Perhaps it was time for them to reveal what they had in mind to make this Halloween a bit more special than all the other Halloweens put together. For as long as they could remember, they always went trick-or-treating together in multiple neighbors even if some people considered them to be "too old" for such "childish nonsense". There was absolutely no shame in getting free candy on a perfectly spooky, cold night. Besides it was another way for them to spend time together. However Roseclere and Shulk had something even better planned to celebrate their last year of high school with each other. Shulk turned around fully, leaning against the back of his chair.

"Hey, Peach. Remember that fortuneteller that just moved in?" he asked excitedly. The blonde nodded slowly, the question clear on her face. Her group of friends had already discussed about the green-haired woman who recently came into town near the end of summer. Went by the name "Lady Palutena", she was an acclaimed fortuneteller who moved from town to town, gracing the people with her skills and allowing them to see the bright or dreary future that she envisioned all the time. Rumors soon circulated and quickly passed lips in their small town at the new, unexpected arrival. Lady Palutena was never seen in person, causing people to speculate that perhaps she didn't want to stain her powers by stepping into the outside world. Some confessed that her predictions always came true while others were obviously distrustful of somebody with claims of supernatural powers. Although Roseclere had been skeptical about the whole affair, Shulk and Peach wanted to meet up with her right away, Peach because she wanted to know her future and Shulk because he had a thing for the occult. When they attempted to visit Lady Palutena with their friend who boastfully called himself Captain Falcon and refused to respond to anything else, they were stopped by her son, Pit, who happened to be a new student in their school. He had told them that his mother wasn't seeing anybody for the time being and turned them away. At the mentioning of Lady Palutena, Peach's ears still rang with the slam of the wooden door in front of their faces.

Roseclere smiled, "Well, we managed to schedule an appointment with her. Turns out, her 'powers' are at their peak on Halloween. Since we were among the first ones to ask about seeing her, Pit told us that we could come over at 6 o'clock on Halloween night." Her tone left no doubt that she was tagging along simply for her friends and not the fact that she really did believe in those kinds of doings. The bubbly girl immediately straightened up at the sound of that.

"Really?" she squealed, all regrets of their unornamented school vanishing in the wind. She clapped her hands excitedly at the good news. Shulk and Roseclere grinned at each other as Peach's smile literally lit up the whole room. "I just can't wait! I wonder what my future's going to be like? It'll be amazing if Mario and I actually lived happily ever after and I still get to see you guys! Oh! Wouldn't it be wonderful if you finally found a girlfriend, Shulk?"

"Whoa! Hold it there! What's that supposed to mean?"

Peach giggled, "I'm only joking, Shulk. I'm sure you'll find somebody for you soon." Her friend shrugged indifferently.

"Doesn't really matter to me."

"But it should! There's nothing better than love!"

As her two friends continued to converse about love and their excitement of finally seeing the famed Lady Palutena, Roseclere looked to the door where the last student of the class entered. She gave a smile when she recognized him. Waving a hand at him, she called out:

"Hey, Pit! Thanks for the invite!"

The raven-haired boy just blinked his red eyes at her before shrugging. He walked to his seat and sat down without a sound or acknowledgement to any other students. Roseclere frowned slightly at his behavior. She noticed that although Pit had recently moved in at the beginning of the year, he still hasn't made any friends up to this point. He always seemed to be by himself during all parts of the day. Whenever the bell rang for the much-awaited end, he always dashed off, some feathers of his black wings fluttering to the floor from the force of the wind. Initially, the principal forbid him from wearing those. However, rumor had it that Lady Palutena had a "talk" with him. Needless to say, Pit wore his fake wings every from that moment on. He never let anybody touch them and always seemed to know when somebody was close to doing the impossible, something he may have inherited from his mother. They had tried to stop him a couple of times to get him to hang out with them, but they never manage to pin him down. Roseclere wondered if the reason for his rapid escape had to do something with his mom. Having a famous mom that could see into the future must be rough considering how she would know what he wanted to do even before he formed the idea.

Yet at certain points of the day, she would get the feeling that somebody was watching them. Whenever she turned around to the point where the observer might be, Pit always brushed past her to get to wherever he needed to go. Roseclere had an ill-feeling that Pit was the mysterious observer, but she couldn't find any substantial evidence to support her suspicions. Although she appreciated what her sixth sense was telling her, she needed hardcore facts to really prove to herself what's happening. The student wanted to tell her friends about it yet couldn't find the right moment to bring up the shy, new kid.

She didn't realize that she was still staring at him until she noticed Peach's smirk through her peripheral. Roseclere blushed, though she had absolutely no idea why she would do such a thing when she had nothing to be ashamed of. She turned around, mind racing for a convenient excuse, "What's with that look?"

"I think somebody has a crush on a certain, black-haired individual!" Peach chirped.

"What? No I don't!" despite her protests, Roseclere's cheeks continued to flush red. She felt a small flame of irritation when Peach wouldn't stop her smirking. It didn't look like a smirk coming from the sweet girl's face, but it held all the smugness that could be displayed by such a smirk. "I'm not crushing on anybody!" she said indignantly, working to keep her volume low. To her dismay, Peach continued her smile. Shulk switched his attention back and forth. He was glad that Peach was distracted by their friend to not bug him about his girlfriendless status. However, he felt bad for Roseclere as _she_ was now under fire. He searched his mind for something to placate the situation. Thankfully before anybody could say anything else, their teacher entered the room. The three friends faced forward again.

Shulk breathed a sigh of relief. Even though the teacher's interruption did nothing more than delay the inevitable questioning, it at least gave Peach time to possibly, yet not likely, forget about the whole incident. As he opened his eyes towards the board, red orbs met his own blue spheres. The student jumped slightly in his chair from the sudden interest that lit Pit's eyes. His friends didn't seem to notice his startle.

Truthfully, Shulk wasn't sure what to think about the new kid. Like Roseclere, he noticed how Pit tended to keep to himself and refused another's company. He didn't mind that the boy turned him and his friends away when they went calling unannounced, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was just…off with him. It was just a feeling, but Shulk wasn't ready to discredit it just because he felt it at a brief moment. It would always return whenever he got close to Pit, albeit subtly and at the very last moment. That feeling returned now, and he couldn't shake it off so easily.

He wanted to turn his eyes away from Pit's steady gaze. However his head refused to move, his eyes locked in place. Shulk had to continue his staring contest with the new kid. He was finally allowed to blink in surprise when Pit's red eyes suddenly reflected his own sapphire sea. Though there was almost no lag time from Shulk's blinking, he saw that Pit's eyes once again shone ruby. The young man rubbed his eyes in disbelief. When he looked up again, he felt a chill run down his spine when Pit's lips curved into a small, cold smile. His eyes shone with silent laughter before he turned back to face the board. An even more unsettling sensation crept on the young man as he suddenly realized that was the first signs of expression he had seen Pit ever make. The feeling wouldn't leave Shulk for the rest of the day.

…

The desired night soon came to be. Peach and Shulk could hardly wait for six o'clock to arrive so that they could go to Lady Palutena's already. Surprisingly, Captain Falcon was a bit more patient than usual. Perhaps it had something to do with how certain he was with his own future. Roseclere, of course, had no interest in the exaggerations the fortuneteller claimed. While they waited for Time to quickly wind forward, the four friends strolled through the neighborhood containing the fortuneteller's house. Most of the houses had impressive decorations yet others simply sulked with their plain appearance. Grinning pumpkins, gray tombstones, purple spiders, shiny cauldrons, clean grass, creaking doors, puffy tents, the district had it all. Roseclere couldn't resist a shriek when a dirty rat scurried across their path. It turned out only to be a robotic toy that scurried back into a house's yard. Peach, of course, delighted in such creativity of decorations.

"You're a lot jumpier than usual, Rose," Shulk commented. The young woman looked to her friend as she hugged herself.

"I don't know…I think it's just the Halloween jitters or something…"

"There's no such thing as Halloween jitters!" Captain Falcon proudly claimed. "It's just called FEAR!"

Roseclere rolled her eyes at the grinning student. She wondered to herself how she was able to put up with his wild antics for so long. "Douglas, jitters is another word for fear." She waited for a reply before realizing that at his name, Captain Falcon just stopped listening to her. She huffed in frustration and felt Shulk's reassuring hand patting her shoulder.

"It's all right if you would rather trick-or-treat, Rose," Peach chimed in. "You don't have to come with us." Her albino friend quickly shook her head.

"It's fine. I'll come with you guys. There's no use trick-or-treating when you don't have your friends with you."

"Besides, trick-or-treating is for KIDS!" Captain Falcon posed.

Shulk grinned at him, "Says the guy who races around our neighborhood trying to get the most candy."

"That's not trick-or-treating. That's going for the kill."

"Going for the kill of your teeth," Roseclere muttered, yet she smiled at her friend's statement. Their playful bantering helped ease her shivers quite noticeably. She caught Captain Falcon's eyes, and he winked knowingly at her.

"It's right there!" Peach pointed towards their destination. Without waiting for her friends, she quickly sprinted towards it. The sight of his friend running ignited the competitive flame in Captain Falcon. He rapidly dashed forth, easily passing his friend. After giving a shout of surprise, Shulk also ran, leaving Roseclere behind. The poor student tried her best to catch up, but she wasn't exactly track-and-field material. She thought bitterly that if something was chasing them, she would be the first to go. She shook the bothering thought away before focusing on catching up. The young woman skidded to a stop where her friends stood staring at their destination. At the sight of her panting for breath, Shulk scratched his head sheepishly, ashamed that he had forgotten that Roseclere wasn't known for her running skills. When she straightened up, he gave her an apologetic look, something that she forgivingly waved away.

The four friends stood quietly in front of the house that initially refused them. Compared to the other ornate homes, Lady Palutena's was plain to the extreme. White-washed with a gray roof and small porch, the house grew a freshly-mowed lawn encased a white picket fence. While some houses without decorations turned off their lights to inspire a "deserted house" feeling, the windows proudly shone their yellow sparkle. A tall shadow passed the window, signaling to the friends that the fortuneteller was indeed inside.

The first to break out of his trance was Captain Falcon. He opened the gate and stood to the side, sweeping his hand genteelly. "Ladies," his white smile was clear underneath his helmet. Peach giggled before curtsying to her friend while Roseclere simply rolled her eyes. The two friends walked towards the house with their male friends trailing behind. Taking the steps up, the four friends stood before the door. Peach stretched out her hand to press the doorbell.

When you press a doorbell, there's usually a pause for the person on the other side to reach the door and open it. Yet before she could even retract her hand, which would have taken a mere second, the door yanked open, startling the four. Pit stood on the other side, his school uniform replaced with a black tunic with a blue scarf. He wore gold bracelets and anklets with strange-looking, black boots. A golden laurel crown shone from his black hair. Raven wings spread from behind, difficult to locate due to the lack of lighting inside.

He spread out his arms towards them in a hospitable gesture. "Welcome…Lady Palutena has been expecting you…" he remained expressionless despite the shock on his guest's face. "Please," he took a step to the side to allow them passage, "come inside…"

* * *

 **Yes, I know that I just described Dark Pit and called him Pit. There is an explanation for that-ish, I assure you. But you guys don't have to trust me. I'm crazy. And insane.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Italics mean written things...you guys would understand later.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Before entering a house, the people on the outside often remained outside and tried to gauge the atmosphere of the room they were about to step into. The entrance didn't offer much advice as velvet red lined the walls enclosed on either side of Pit. While most people didn't think to look up, Roseclere did and saw how mini chandeliers with a multitude of candles dimly lit the halls. The so-far medieval look of the inside starkly contrasted the normality of the outside. It sent shivers down her spine, yet she knew that was somewhat expected due to the somewhat stereotypical view she had about fortunetellers. She ruefully thought that Lady Palutena was either going to use a crystal ball or theirs palms to tell the future.

Peach didn't seem to have the same unsettling feeling as her friend, considering how she cheerfully skipped inside with her friends in tow. Pit closed the door and locked it tightly before motioning his guests to follow him down the hall. He quickly took the front and led them into his desired room. The four friends continued to look around to get another feel for the house, yet the velvet walls stretched all the way to their designated door, which looked identical to the front door. No portraits, no tables, no nothing, the hall was just that, empty. There was barely enough room for a person and a half to walk abreast, the chandeliers above being abnormally close to the walking people. The four friends attempted to walk right in the middle of the room, a feat proved to be slightly difficult with the sensation of the walls closing in on either side of them. When they reached their door, the sound of the doorknob turning echoed in the hollow hall as the fortuneteller's son opened it to reveal a rectangular room.

Pit waited until his guests entered the room before closing the door behind them again. This time, Shulk noticed, he didn't lock it, or perhaps there was no lock for it. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel like he was being boxed in. The room was simple enough with geometric carpeting that covered the whole floor. A few pillows scattered about, Roseclere correctly deducting that those would serve as their seats. There was a low table accompanying the pillows. The same velvet walls stretched around the room as well while a larger chandelier hung low from the ceiling. Off to one side, beaded curtains separated another room from this one, the shadows preventing any onlookers from seeing what was inside. Although this room was obviously larger than the first, the enclosed sensation remained.

The fortuneteller's son gestured to the cushions on the floor, "Please take a seat there. When Lady Palutena is ready, she will call for you." Without sparing his guests another glance, he whisked through the curtains, the beads lightly clicking together from his movement. Roseclere and Shulk exchanged a quick look of agreement. Although it was their idea in the first place, they were regretting it now immensely. Peach and Captain Falcon didn't seem to share their concerns as they leapt for the cushions.

"They're so soft!" Peach proclaimed, hugging one to her chest.

"You shouldn't do that. They might be dirty," Roseclere warned as she moved to join her friends. She examined one and found her fears to be ill-found, but it was clear that she still had her suspicions even as she sat down. Peach only huffed before placing it back down so Shulk could sit, Captain Falcon plopping down on a pillow at the end. Now the waiting began once more. They tried looking around the room again, but nothing really piqued their interest. The sense of the necessity of being silent caught all of them as they resisted the urge to converse with each other to pass the time. The silence was deafening, causing their ears to buzz for some type of noise. After a few minutes of waiting, Captain Falcon began to fidget. He had already wasted his patience reserves on the walk here; for him that was quite impressive. Now he had to do something, _anything_. He turned his head this way and that for some distraction, but his second search failed him. The young man looked to the side where his friends lazily waited for Lady Palutena to call on them.

"Nice place they got," Captain Falcon bravely commented, shattering the uncomfortable silence. Roseclere glared at him, leaning forward to see him on the other side, but felt a secret gratitude for being the first one to save them from the dreadful stillness of the room. They could always count on him to take the first, courageous step.

"I guess so…" she sighed.

"I do like the velvet walls. They're a nice touch," Peach added her bit into the conversation.

"I just said it's nice. That doesn't mean I like it."

"Now that's just harsh, Captain Falcon," Shulk stifled a laugh at the young man's rude comment.

He shrugged indifferently. "I'm just telling the truth."

"Well-."

"Be mindful of what comes out of your mouth," the new voice startled them. They looked towards the beaded entrance and saw Pit standing there with a plate of treats. Though his words suggested anger, his tone and face showed no signs of it. They were as expressionless as ever. Captain Falcon allowed himself a shamed look while the host set the plate on the table. Peach looked at them curiously before smiling in delight at the Halloween cookies. Pit gestured for them to take some, something they did gladly. He silently watched them eat for a while before opening his mouth to speak, "Lady Palutena is almost ready. You will come in one by one when she calls. You must remain silent, and speak only when spoken to. And mind your choice of words. Should you fail to abide by these rules, you will be kicked out immediately. No excuses. Those who have not been called must not speak. Is that clear?" He blinked at them.

The four friends nodded, their mouth still chomping on the cookies. They were surprisingly delicious, and Peach wondered briefly whether Pit himself baked the goodies. Just as they finished, a small ding was heard from the room. Pit briskly walked into room. He returned soon after, making Roseclere wondered just how big the room was seeing how he was gone for the briefest moment. She would soon know the answer as the fortuneteller's son gestured towards her.

"Lady Palutena has called for you first."

The young woman rose from her seat, wiping her mouth with a cloth that accompanied the cookies. She gave her friends a wan smile, "Well, I'll see you guys later then." She turned to Pit, "Lead the way."

The fortuneteller's son stared at her for a moment before a small smile crossed his face. The four friends didn't realize that they had all shuddered in unison from the sudden cold atmosphere that fell in the room. Pit didn't seem to notice either as he turned around, his wings flapping once, and he walked into the room. Roseclere followed behind albeit with less confidence than before. Her friends watched as her coated figure disappeared into the inky shadows. Once again they were forced to wait until it was their turn. Warned by Pit beforehand, they remained silent this time around.

The unnerving feeling that had fallen on Roseclere and Shulk now infected Peach and Captain Falcon. Like their two friends, they wondered whether this was a good idea. It seemed great and all outside, but once they were inside, the house itself seemed to have a dooming presence. Though the velvet walls suggested nothing less than an extravagant taste in fashion, something about them now made the three friends more uncomfortable than before. They didn't seem to change and yet the feelings towards them transformed into something much more…wary, for lack of better term.

Peach suddenly realized that throughout the house, they never saw any windows, the walls effectively blocking out the merriment of the other trick-or-treaters. She wondered then where that window from which light streamed was located. The young woman opened her mouth to comment on that, remembered at the last second Pit's instructions, and closed her mouth with a soft clop. Her friends looked to her in curiosity at the silent noise. She simply shook her head with a wan smile in answer. Peach hoped her expression was convincing enough, despite the sinking feeling of her stomach.

The minutes slowly crept by. Captain Falcon began to regret not buying that watch in that one store they visited when he had the chance. His eyes searched the room for some sign of time. The only thing that caught his eye was the hourglass that stood right next to the beaded curtains. A flash of confusion struck him as he wondered how he couldn't have seen that before. It seemed quite obvious with its jewelry-studded columns that resembled golden feathers and slightly abnormal height of about two and a half feet. The red sand trickled through the minute opening at a rapid pace, yet Time didn't seem to follow its keeper's speed. Captain Falcon surmised that perhaps Pit had placed it there when he returned. Yet, no matter how much he fumbled with his memories, he couldn't remember Pit ever holding something as noticeable as that hourglass. He felt the temptation to point out the strange device to his friends. However, like Peach, he remembered at the last second and kept that fact to himself.

About a fifth of the sand had filled the lower half when Pit reentered the room, yet Captain Falcon still couldn't tell the time from that thing. Shulk peered behind the fortuneteller's son, expecting to see his albino friend trailing behind. Much to his surprise, Roseclere was nowhere to be found. He looked at Pit and was equally shocked to see three scratch marks run down his right cheek. The injury was still bleeding, yet Pit made no effort to wipe away the blood. Shulk opened his mouth to voice his concern:

"Hey, Pit. Where's Roseclere? And what happened to your face? Are you all right?"

The winged boy glared at Shulk with such a familiar intensity that it sent shivers down his spine and sweat down his neck. The young man actually flinched from it, the hair on the back of his neck rising from the tension in the room. His friends, though sharing his unease, were too affected by the atmosphere to add their opinion. They could only stare at their host, waiting for him to speak.

He finally opened his mouth, "My name…is Dark Pit. And unless you want to be kicked out, then I suggest you follow the instructions I laid for you at the beginning."

The astonishment was clear on their faces. Did Pit just add the word "Dark" in front of his name? He was initially introduced as Pit at the beginning of their school year. Why was he so angry now that Shulk called him what they always thought was his real name due to the fact that he also responded to that name? The alarm bells in Shulk's head rang louder than before. He moved to stand up, but the warning light in Dark Pit's eyes petrified him. He remained in his seat. A satisfied relief replaced the warning light.

"Roseclere is simply waiting in the next room, the same room you will all be in once Lady Palutena has finished. And this is nothing," he closed his eyes and sighed. His hand twitched, as if about to move to cover it up but it remained limp at his side. "Lady Palutena…was just in a bad mood. But she is now ready for the next guest," his opened eyes scanned the three remaining friends, as if examining them. Pit finally settled for Captain Falcon. He waved a hand in his direction, gesturing for him to stand. "Lady Palutena will see you next."

Shulk narrowed his eyes at the action. The way Pit-pardon him- _Dark Pit_ called for Captain Falcon rubbed him the wrong way. It seemed like…Dark Pit was choosing who got to go see his mom first. Shulk wasn't sure if that was how Lady Palutena operated, but it still grated him how Dark Pit acted. He looked over at Peach. His friend returned the look, letting him know that she thought the same thing. Captain Falcon sprang to his feet, not with the excitement of seeing the fortuneteller, but with the enthusiasm of finally having something to do. A small frown touched Dark Pit's face before he smiled softly and ruefully and turned to disappear into the room, Captain Falcon following close behind.

Once Shulk was sure Dark Pit was gone, he leaned over to Peach. He opened his mouth to speak, but Peach quickly shook her head to signal him the negativity of the action. They already seen firsthand the possible reaction they would get should they disobey Dark Pit's instructions again. She patted her dress at a few choice spots before pulling out a piece of paper and pencil. Shulk smiled at the possible form of communication Peach just presented. It was a bit old fashioned but it would be effective to converse without offending the fortuneteller's rules.

Peach quickly wrote, _What is it? Does it have to do with Dark Pit?_ She handed Shulk the paper with the pencil and watched him skim it quickly.

 _Yeah. I'm getting a really bad feeling from all of this,_ Shulk scribbled. He passed it. The small frown that touched Peach's face at Shulk's messy writing almost made him laugh if the severity of the situation hadn't gotten to him.

 _What should we do then? I don't think we can leave._

 _Maybe "Dark" Pit would let us go if we asked,_ even as he wrote that, Shulk felt the seed of doubt grow into a branching tree. He was quite sure that the fortuneteller's son wasn't going to allow them to leave.

 _I doubt it,_ Peach sighed. She thought for a moment before writing, _Hey, did you notice the hourglass there?_

 _Yeah? What about it?_

 _Where did it come from?_ At the question, Peach and Shulk looked over to where the hourglass that Captain Falcon noticed initially sat quietly. The red sand still trickled at a rapid speed albeit Time slowed to a crawl. The lower half was two-fifths full. They both wondered the time interval in which the hourglass was keeping. It seemed too long for an hour, and extremely too short for twenty-four hours. Now that Shulk thought about, the same question that originally struck Captain Falcon plagued him. What time was it? How long have they been here for? Though Shulk knew it was useless, he still searched the room for a clock. There was none to be seen, and he rubbed his eyes at the strange apparition. Were the walls a bit more…red than they used to be? Maybe it was just the lighting of the candles.

He looked to their soft glow now. He searched his memory for his first sight of the candles. Although he wasn't exactly sure long fast wax melted under the heat, Shulk could still estimate how much time they've wasted here. No such memory surfaced, and he regretted not having Roseclere with him. She would have known when a mere minute had just passed.

The young man started slightly when Peach shook his shoulder. He looked to her before realizing that he hadn't answered her question. He picked up the pencil to write, _Maybe "Dark" Pit put it there?_

 _But we didn't see him hold it or anything. We should have been able to see something as big and as shiny as that. Besides, it looks pretty heavy._

The paper ran out of space. Shulk flipped it over to start anew. He reminded himself to write smaller to conserve space, _I don't know…_ After passing her his new message, stillness befell them again, each haunted by their own thoughts. Shulk flipped the pencil around his fingers as he thought about the recent events. He found regret stabbing at him again for dragging his friends into this. Sure, they thought it was going to be all fun and games, but now clearly wasn't the case as that dreadful feeling returned. The young man sensed that the same sensation plagued his friend and racked his brain for something, anything to say to ease her. He moved the pencil's point to the paper and was about to write something when Dark Pit walked into the room again.

Although the fortuneteller's son had already said Roseclere and Captain Falcon would be waiting in another room, Peach felt some small hope that they would return. She was sorely disappointed. Truthfully, she didn't want to see the fortuneteller anymore. Every fiber of her body warned her that this wasn't a good idea anymore and that she should escape as soon as possible. Yet something ensnarled her, and trapped her to the plump cushion she sat on right now. She stared at Dark Pit, waiting for the next verdict.

Dark Pit stared back at both of them, tilting his head to the side. The scratch marks weren't bleeding as much, but Peach still shuddered at the sight of them. The silence stretched uncomfortably for the two friends as Dark Pit refused to speak at the moment. It was only after a few more trickles of sand fell through did he open his mouth:

"Your friends are waiting in the other room. Lady Palutena is ready to see the next guest." He then gestured to Peach. The young woman shot Shulk an anxious glance. He could see the fear in her eyes, the trembling of her shoulders. His mind raced, and Shulk looked at Dark Pit.

"Can I go before her?" he wasn't sure how that was going to help at all, considering how right after, he would join Roseclere and Captain Falcon in the next room and leave Peach alone, but it was the best thing he could come up with.

Dark Pit switched his attention over to Shulk. The same chills from before ran down his spine as those snakelike eyes hypnotized him again. Shulk felt his muscles freeze up as he continued to stare back at the fortuneteller's son. Those red orbs swirled with so little emotion that the young man found himself wondering whether this guy was human at all. It was an absurd thought, Shulk had to admit, but it still rang in his mind anyway.

Then poison-dripping fangs suddenly lounged at him, open to gobble him up. Shulk gasped loudly as he reared backwards. Peach started in surprise at her friend's bizarre action. She looked at her panting friend worriedly. She wanted to reach out to reassure him, but something unknown unseen stopped her. A movement from the side caught her eye, and she saw Dark Pit placing a cup of hot tea on the table. He pushed it towards Shulk.

"No. Lady Palutena has asked for her. I guess you can say…'Ladies first'. Your turn is impassable," Dark Pit said. Shulk barely heard the fortuneteller's son. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart pulsing rapidly in fear and shock. Sweat dripped from his brow as he worked to calm himself down. Dark Pit remained silent for another moment before gesturing Peach in his familiar way. The young woman hesitated for a moment, but the look in Dark Pit's eyes warned her that it was best to follow. With a heavy heart, she rose from her seat. She moved to follow Dark Pit, but then she looked back on her friend. Emotions struggled on her face between following Lady Palutena's orders and helping her poor friend. Peach made her decision, not caring about invoking Dark Pit's anger.

She asked, "Will you take care of Shulk?"

Dark Pit blinked at her. For the first time, when he smiled, the air in the room didn't grow cold with distress. It seemed almost…friendly, and warm. His eyes flashed as he gave her a thumbs-up, "Of course. He'll be absolutely fine." The candle flickered, and Dark Pit was back to his expressionless self. Without waiting to see Peach follow him, he walked back into the room. Another moment of hesitation, and the young woman entered the room, leaving behind her friend.

Shulk quickly lost track of time as he tried to make sense of what just happened. One minute he was just staring at Dark Pit. The next, glittering sharp fangs emerged from those red pools and almost snapped him in two. His heart finally slowed down to its usual thumping, and he ran a hand through his hair. He inhaled deeply, exhaling the same breath out. Although he had calmed down, everything he tried to think back to that, his hands shook uncontrollably and Shulk had to hold himself tightly to stop the trembling.

The young man looked around the crimson room for some sort of comfort, ignoring the cup of tea Dark Pit had placed for him. He had no desire to drink that as of now. His eyes finally rested on the paper with his and Peach's conversation. At the thought of his friend, Shulk felt a heavy weight of regret on his shoulders. When she needed him the most, he had failed her. He hated how he wasn't able to help her when she felt so vulnerable under Dark Pit's stare. Shulk swore to himself that once they finished here, they wouldn't do such a thing like this ever again, even if it had its perks. He just couldn't stand the atmosphere of a place like this anymore.

The silence settled again, this time with only one companion. Shulk's ears buzzed at the lack of noise and his eyes wondered around the room once more. The waxes of the candles have melted even further, but he still couldn't tell the time. The grains in the hourglass reached an equal amount for the briefest moment before it continued to fall through to reach its lowest potential. The tea stood, unsipped, untouched. Shulk attempted to relax, but he couldn't find the encouragement to do so. Everything in the room warned him to stay on his toes lest he wanted to be trapped in this tiny prison. He looked to the beaded curtains and found himself wondering how long each session actually took. Peach's seemed to be taking the most time, yet Shulk thought that was because he was simply alone with nothing to occupy his mind. The other sittings, he had his friends to distract him. Now that Shulk thought about it…why did Roseclere and Captain Falcon have to wait in a different room? Why couldn't they just return here? There was no harm in them sharing what they heard, unless Lady Palutena actually warned them not to do it. But that would probably tempt them to spill the beans even more. That made a bit of sense…and it would explain why they couldn't go all together at once. Despite it being a futile effort, Shulk still wished that he could have gone with his friends, just to ensure their safety.

After what seemed like hours (though only a bit of wax, a bit of sand gone), Dark Pit entered the room again. This time, instead of his usual stoic self, he seemed a bit…chirpy? There was definitely a more…positive air around the fortuneteller's son. His red eyes fell on Shulk, and that soft smile returned.

"Lady Palutena is ready to see you now…" he gestured. He waited until Shulk stood up and stretched for a bit after sitting on that pillow for so long before he gestured again and turned to walk back into the room. Despite that happy air around Dark Pit and the suggestion that all went well, Shulk still didn't like where this was going. He wished he could curtly refuse the fortuneteller's offer now, but deep inside he knew he had no choice. The young man shadowed Dark Pit, who led him through the beaded curtains.

Once Shulk entered, the light behind him seemed to disappear as if suddenly sliced in half and drained away. The darkness completely blinded and bound him, making him feel more boxed in than usual. Did his friends feel this sensation as well? The sensation of being trapped like a rat in a cage? The young man jumped slightly when he felt something breathing down his neck. Yet when he turned around to squint at the darkness, nothing appeared and nothing breathed. Shulk waited for a few moments before turning to rush after Dark Pit's disappearing footsteps.

The hall seemed to stretch as long as the first hall they went through. The silence from the waiting room scattered as the footsteps of the two students echoed to scare it away. Shulk was about to ask how much longer it was going to take when his eyes blinked in response to the dim light at the end of the tunnel. He felt a small pang of gratitude that that light wasn't at all bright, which could have temporarily blinded him and left him defenseless. They both moved towards it until it enveloped them with its warmth.

The room Shulk found himself in was extremely similar to the waiting room with its dim lights and low ceiling chandelier. Crimson, puffy walls surrounded him in a circular formation with some purple curtains that partially covered the far back. A star-shaped symbol plastered the floor amid other symbols that Shulk recognized to be Greek letters. There was a round table, a purple tablecloth separating it from the crystal ball on top. A chair stood in front of the table, obviously meant for a guest. Shulk could see the beginnings of a scroll with a possible eye design and golden tassels hung on either side of the scroll like two bodyguards. Yet he wasn't sure whether his assumption was accurate as a shadowed person sat regally in front of the decoration. The silk, purple curtains that obscured the figure hazed his sight even more; he could barely make out the fortuneteller's long hair, but he saw the straight pride which Lady Palutena carried herself with.

At the sight of her, Shulk's feet suddenly rooted to the spot. His palms sweaty, his lips dry, the young man could only stare in silence. Dark Pit didn't seem to notice as he moved towards his mother to lean in for a few choice words. Lady Palutena barely reacted to Dark Pit's words. Instead, she continued to stare straight ahead, right at her next guest. Shulk swallowed as he shrunk underneath the fortuneteller's scrutiny. Dark Pit motioned to the chair.

"Please…have a seat," he muttered. Shulk blinked, the command almost not registering itself. He finally snapped out of his daze and moved towards the chair. He slowly slid into it, perched at the edge of his seat to be ready for the flight of escape. Dark Pit didn't seem to notice as he turned to bow to his mother before turning around and leaving the room. Shulk heard unseen doors click shut behind him but resisted the temptation to turn around. Instead he stared right back at Lady Palutena. Time seeped by, silence droned on.

Shulk wasn't sure how long their staring had been going on for. He frowned as the fortuneteller seemed to be taking her real, sweet time. Shouldn't she have asked for his hand or something by now? Or at least waved her own hands over her crystal ball? He opened his mouth to speak when he felt a sudden chill in the air. He shivered violently in response and barely resisted the temptation to turn around, the fear and curiosity of the unknown almost overpowering him. Shulk continued to stare straight ahead when something strange caught his eye. The sound of his heart pulsing in his ears, he peered closer at the still form of the fortuneteller. She didn't seem to take any offense. At closer inspection, Shulk had to bite his lip from crying out at his discovery and risking Dark Pit's wrath. Was…was that stitching right across Lady Palutena's neck? On an impulse, he slowly, fearfully reached out towards the still fortuneteller.

And her head fell off her neck onto her lap.

* * *

 **...Don't go to fortunetellers, kiddies!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Roseclere glued her back to the pulsing wall behind her and worked to keep her breath in check, something that proved to be difficult as her heart raced with terror at the danger she suddenly found herself in. She felt something prickling her eyes, realizing that that something was tears threatening to fall and display her deathly fear to the world. She gritted her teeth in an effort to stay strong in her situation, the courage that the young woman needed desperately to confront the horror shuffling around in a hunt for fresh, human flesh. Despite that, the tears trailed down Roseclere's cheeks as her heart continued to pound away. She hugged the candle stand that she had been using for light but now transformed for fight. The comforting flames from the three melted wax were already extinguished from her terrified sprint away from the monster. Roseclere laughed bitterly under her breath that she actually managed to run at the speed of light despite her average athleticism.

She stopped when the shuffling got closer. She held her breath, her sweaty palms almost dropping her weapon. Roseclere gripped it with a deathly grasp as she attempted futilely to calm down her pulsing heart. Her eyes darted towards the empty space to the side of her, her mind expecting the monster to jump at her at any moment. The rumbling got closer…a foot stepped into her vision, hesitating for a moment. Roseclere's eyes fixed on the exact spot she estimated the monster would be. If possible, her grip on the candle stand tightened even further. The moment the creature showed its face, she'd get it.

There! With a high-pitched scream, Roseclere swung her weapon with all her might, blindingly attacking the creature. She barely heard the yelp the monster let out, but she did feel a jarring force from the candle stand. The familiar pits of fear engulfed her as she realized that her attack seemed to only slow the creature down, not knock it away from her as she had hoped. Worse, the monster seemed to have caught her candle stand. The young woman instinctively struggled against its hold, trying to pry her weapon away for another day to fight.

"Whoa! Roseclere! It's me, Douglas!" Captain Falcon shouted as he struggled against his friend's movements. The rational Roseclere was known for soon returned to her eyes when she got a closer look at the "monster". Relief washed over the terror she had been feeling the past hour. Her shoulders fell limp as her arms suddenly lost their strength. Captain Falcon released his grip from the candle stand, letting his friend retreat back with the weapon still in hand.

"Douglas…" she muttered, the exhaustion clear in her voice. "How…?" The weight of their situation fell on her as she wobbled backwards. Captain Falcon quickly reached forward to pull her towards him. He clutched her shoulders to steady her. He paid no heed to her use of his real name. They had more pressing issues to deal with. As he waited for Roseclere to recover, he looked around the darkness around them. Besides the pulsing, red corner they found themselves near, there wasn't anything else that stood out. But the young man knew it was a trick. They were in a large maze that seemed endless, going on for as long as it could.

"Rose," after seeing nothing that merited danger, Captain Falcon looked back into his friend's eyes. She seemed to be all right for the time being. "Are you all right?"

"What…?" Roseclere mumbled quietly. Her mind raced as she remembered the events. When they resurfaced, her shoulders trembled again. Captain Falcon felt a flash of fear that she might fall again. His grip on her shaking shoulders tightened noticeably, causing Roseclere to blink. "I-I'm fine…" she squirmed out of his grasp as she took deep breaths. Though Captain Falcon let her go, he kept close just in case. After deeply exhaling for the fourth time, the young woman opened her mouth to speak:

"How did you get here?"

At the question, Captain Falcon's expression darkened noticeably. He gritted his teeth in anger as he remembered what had transpired during his own visit with the fortuneteller. "That fucking Dark Pit did it. I don't really remember what happened, but I do remember that after we got into the room, he suddenly turned on me with a knife!" at the word, Roseclere's trembling got worse. Her friend saw and looked at her with obvious concern. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I-I'm fine…" she repeated. "Go on."

He gave a skeptical look, but did as she said, "Being stronger than him, I was able to knock him away. When I went to the door, I realized that he had locked it! The bastard! After that-." Captain Falcon paused. He struggled to remember what happened after he saw that his only escape was locked. The throbbing in the back of his head reminded him, the young man rubbing that sore spot. "He must have knocked me out. I don't know what he did after that, but I somehow ended up here." He paused again. He looked at Roseclere curiously, "Where is here anyways?" Without waiting for an answer, he looked around once more. He had only been wandering around for a while, and the only thing he saw was red, pulsing walls like the one they were right next to currently. Other than that, he could only imagine what made Roseclere blindly swing a candle stand at him while screaming terrifyingly. "How did you get here?" the same question struck him.

Roseclere shook her head. At first, Captain Falcon believed that she wasn't going to tell him. It was perfectly fine with him, especially if it brought unwelcoming memories. But Roseclere knew she had to let Captain Falcon know.

"When I went in…he told me to sit down. I did, and I was facing his mother. He stood right next to her and talked with her for a bit before turning to me. He had asked me something, but I can't recall it now. After that, he just smiled at me. Then…" Roseclere's voice choked. "Then…"

Captain Falcon leaned close, holding her shoulders. "It's all right. You don't have to tell."

But she stubbornly shook her head, "No. You have to know." She inhaled deeply before continuing, yet her voice continued to tremble, "Lady Palutena…the fortuneteller…her head just fell. It just fell, like she was never alive to begin with!" Roseclere covered her mouth and shook her head, still in disbelief. Tears threatened to fall once more, but she managed to get a hold of them before they did. Captain Falcon could only stare with a stunned silence. Was that the reason why he never saw the fortuneteller in the first place? Because her head was knocked clean straight off? He muttered another curse aimed towards the dead fortuneteller's son before realizing something.

He frowned, "Wait, how did Dark Pit get those scratches then? He told us that it was because his mom got angry or something. But that doesn't make any sense if she was already dead when you came in."

At that, Roseclere couldn't help but slightly straightened herself proudly, her eyes still a bit red. "I gave him those scratches. He had laughed when I screamed. I tried to get away, but then he had locked the door beforehand. As I was trying to open the door, he jumped on me. I scratched him when he did. After that…" Roseclere paused. She shook her head, the pride gone from her shoulders by now, "After that…I think he knocked me out. I don't remember, but I just remember waking up here."

After Roseclere finished her story, Captain Falcon's concern quickly turned to anger. He slammed his against the wall, ignoring the elastic sensation. "That fucktard! Why, when I see him, I'll snap his neck in two!" Roseclere actually stepped back in shock at her friend's fury. She never saw him as wrathful as now. And when Captain Falcon was angry, he _was angry_. Although she knew that he had every right to be this furious, Roseclere also knew that it wasn't the right time for him to be giving into his anger. Despite her exhaustion, she knew she had to do something and take charge before her friend hurt himself. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look at her.

"Now's not the time to give into our anger. We have to focus on trying to get out of here alive, especially with that monster running around," Roseclere said as she looked around. Nothing but inky darkness and pulsing crimson caught her eye. Now that she had a friend with her, even if he was immature at times, Roseclere was immensely glad to share the danger. Besides, weren't two heads better than one? She noticed from the corner of her eye that Captain Falcon's blazing fury shimmered down to anxiety.

"Monster? What monster?" his voice squeaked slightly.

Roseclere looked at her friend in surprise. Had he not encountered the monster yet? What she would give to trade places with him! She shook her head slowly. "I truly envy you," she whispered.

Captain Falcon felt the sinking feeling in his stomach again. He stepped forward, his voice a bit more aggressive than he meant for it to be, "What monster?" His friend only shook her head again.

"Something I'll give anything to unsee. You'll know it when you see it. Let's just find a way out right now," Roseclere reached into her coat to pull out a set of matches she found next to the candle stand. She quickly lit one to light her candle. The familiar glow of the flames comforted the two slightly. Flicking out the match, Roseclere moved forward while her grip around the candle stand tightened. Captain Falcon quickly followed her. After a few twists and turns, the young man lost his way rapidly. He felt a vague hope that perhaps Roseclere knew which way she was going. She certainly seemed to as she sometimes only pondered for a few minutes before walking into another direction while other times she moved into a way without considering the other routes. The silence around them discouraged unnecessary conversations, not like the two friends needed any help. They had enough to occupy their minds, especially with their survival at sake.

Something stirred in Roseclere's mind. Something about Captain Falcon's story was bothering her. Thank goodness that he was keeping quiet right now. She needed to think about what irritated her so. Eventually she got it. She stopped in the middle of the road to turn towards her friend.

"Dark Pit? Wasn't his name Pit?"

Captain Falcon looked at her in confusion. The puzzling expression soon cleared when he understood where Roseclere was going. He remembered how "Pit" added the "Dark" after Roseclere went to the fortuneteller. "For some reason, he got angry with Shulk for calling him Pit and he told us that his name was Dark Pit," Captain Falcon explained. From his friend's face, he could tell that statement wasn't logical enough to satisfy her in normal circumstances, but given how things were as of now, Roseclere was willing to accept it. She nodded to herself, muttered a thanks, turned around, and continued walking. Her friend followed behind, the silence settling it again.

Captain Falcon found himself wondering about the monster Roseclere mentioned. He knew that the creature must be truly frightening for his friend to not want to speak of it. She wasn't afraid to tell her friends what bothered her, yet in this case, she seemed to want to spare Captain Falcon the deathly terror that took hold of her when she saw the monster. This may have not been the best course of action, but the young man wasn't going to force Roseclere to tell him something she wished to protect him from. Despite that, he still felt the urge to do something about the monster, something that would protect them from it. And to protect them from it, Captain Falcon knew he couldn't blindly charge it. He needed a weapon. He peered at the candle stand that was offering, for the time being, light.

"Hey, where'd you get the candle stand? When I woke up, I didn't find anything," Captain Falcon asked. Roseclere turned to him.

"This?" she breathed, holding up the golden thing. "I found it a while back when I was looking for a way out. It was just sitting on a table so I grabbed it for light." She looked at it ruefully, "Though I do wonder who left it on the table in the first place…"

"Do you think there's anything I could use as a weapon lying around?" Captain Falcon futilely searched the ground. Roseclere shrugged in response.

"I've been wandering around for a while. This is the only thing that came up," she paused and stopped her train of thought when images of the monster began to resurface. She quickly shook it away before moving again. Captain Falcon followed closely behind, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of a possible weapon.

The two friends continued to roam the strange place Dark Pit dumped them into. The silence that plagued them back at the house afflicted them now. Similar questions bounced around their heads as they tried to wrap their minds around the situation and look for an escape route. However the same sights continued to greet them, murky darkness beyond the comforting light of the candle and pulsing walls of crimson that seemed to breathe. Roseclere jumped a bit when one portion of the wall actually seemed to jump towards her. Captain Falcon managed to catch her before she fell backwards. The wall shifted, veins protruding from it. The two friends could only watch and wait in the tense air until the breathing thing finally settled back. They waited for a few more moments, but the walls seemed to have calmed down back to their original state.

"What the hell was that?" Captain Falcon muttered.

"I don't know. But I don't think we should keep so close to it now," Roseclere said. Her friend nodded in agreement as they began to draw closer to the middle of the hall. They began their trek forward once more. The problem with facing your front is that you are usually unaware of your back. Two circles of light beamed on the two friends' tracks. Though it tried to remain silent with its mouth closed, the skeleton figure's lungs rumbled like that of a motor. It was too far away for Roseclere and Captain Falcon to hear, something that it planned to keep for now. Its long, pulsing arms hung limply by its side as its scarred knees bent in resting position. The light beams turned towards the wall that was pulsing initially and then looked at the ground. The creature poked at the white substance shaped like an arrow that had already hardened. The arrow pointed in the direction that it originally came from. The creature then turned and raced away further into the maze until the time was ripe for it to go for the kill.

Captain Falcon shivered. On an impulse, he looked behind him. He blinked when he thought he saw something flicker in the inky darkness.

"What's the matter?" Roseclere asked, stopping when she realized that her friend had also stopped. She looked in his direction, wondering what made him look backwards. After a while, Captain Falcon shook his head.

"I think my mind was just playing tricks on me." He was about to move forward again when Roseclere placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He looked at her curiously as she tilted her head to the side.

"Wait, do you hear that?" she whispered.

Captain Falcon strained his ears. Now that she mentioned it, he did hear something. It sounded like…ticking? Or was it rumbling? Captain Falcon wondered how he could come up with two different types of sound that have absolutely no correlation with each other to describe the unknown noise. However, no matter how much he thought about it, it could only be one or the other. Either ticking or rumbling. Not tocking or scruffling. There was just no explanation to it. "Maybe we should go find out what it is," he suggested.

Roseclere considered his statement. Though her curiosity was aroused, she didn't want to charge blindly into whatever opened its mouth for them. They weren't even sure how long this maze ran for nor did they know about the other possible things that crept in the shadows. Was it a good idea to even follow the noise? What would happen if it led to their deaths? At that thought, Roseclere almost let out a bitter laugh. Considering how things were as of now, she and Captain Falcon would die eventually, either by that monster, the sound, or the starvation. They might as well find out what that noise was. The young woman thought wearily that if she died today, she wouldn't want to die wondering about something that she could have easily found the answer to. She nodded to her friend, "I guess we should."

They grew quiet to listen for the sound again. There it was, distant, but strangely clear. The two friends started forward again, this time following their ears. With each step they took, the ticking or the rumbling grew louder yet more disoriented. At times Roseclere got the most chilling sensation that screams of pain and sorrow were mixed into the sound. She saw that the noise unnerved Captain Falcon as well as his tense muscles refused to relax in the case of danger. As they drew closer, Roseclere wondered whether she preferred the unearthly sound now or the deathly silence before. Their sphere of light continued to light the way, revealing only the dirt ground and red walls.

Soon another light clashed with theirs. Roseclere held up her candle stand to see that they had reached an intersection with a traffic light hanging from black wires. As she stared at the bizarre placing of the contraption, its red light blinked out, only to have its next circle blink the same color. The young woman frowned at that, puzzling over the peculiarity of that traffic light. Captain Falcon snapped her out of her wonderment as he shook her shoulder, reminding her of their purpose. The two friends soon left the crimson light behind, but Roseclere noticed that the light had blinked off a second time yet shone the same red a third time. The darkness soon swallowed that light.

The ticking, rumbling was getting louder. Roseclere and Captain Falcon plugged their ears in a futile effort to block most of it out. Unfortunately for Roseclere, she could only plug one ear as her hand held the candle stand. Despite the obvious discouragement, they continued forward, now committed to finding out exactly what was causing that sound. The red walls soon melted away to nothingness. The sound got louder. Roseclere and Captain Falcon got closer. The sound became louder. The two friends drew closer. The noise wouldn't stop. They wouldn't stop.

But the sound did. As quietly as it came, it disappeared. Roseclere and Captain Falcon now only heard buzzing in their ears. Yet they paid no more attention to that.

They saw Peach sprawled on the ground before them in front of a golden hourglass. With a startling cry, Roseclere rushed over to her unconscious friend, Captain Falcon at her heels. "Peach! Peach, are you all right?" her choking sounded strange to Roseclere. She kneeled next to Peach. Her hand twitched forward but an unknown fear held her back from touching her friend. That fear didn't infect Captain Falcon as he kneeled close to them and gently lifted Peach's head up.

"Peach. Peach! Wake up!" the young man gently slapped Peach's face. At the contact, the blond woman's eyes slowly opened with a dreadful drowsiness. Roseclere held her breath at that. Peach blinked a couple of times before sitting up with Captain Falcon's help. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She held her head, futilely trying to stop the migraine from pounding her away. It took her a while but she finally realized that she was not in the room that Dark Pit had led her into. Her eyes shifted from space to her friends' worried faces. She blinked blearily, "Where…where am I?"

Roseclere hesitated at the obvious question with a not-so-obvious answer. She finally said, "I'm not sure where we are. It looks like some type of maze." She looked around on an impulse. To her surprise, they were not surrounded in total darkness anymore. A soft glow of orange lit the room from two candles on either walls, adding to the light that her candle initially provided. Velvet walls enclosed on all sides except for the route that Roseclere and Captain Falcon came from. The hourglass that stood in front of Peach continued to have its red sand trickle down; the bottom portion held more than half of the total amount of sand and she estimated that there was two or three hours left in the top portion. Though she wasn't certain, Roseclere thought she heard a strange ticking from its golden feathers. She quickly shook the notion away. The young woman then realized that they had reached one of the many possible dead-ends of the maze. She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach and the need to get out of here as quickly as she could. Yet she wasn't sure whether Peach was in any condition for sprinting.

"Maze?" Peach echoed. The headache was clearing and she was able to think properly. Once the migraine disappeared, Peach remembered how she had sat down in front of Lady Palutena, only to be knocked unconscious by something. Or someone. She looked at Roseclere and Captain Falcon in confusion. "I thought Dark Pit said you two were waiting in another room."

At the culprit's name, Captain Falcon's face darkened noticeably. Peach flinched as he turned away from her, a string of curses erupting from his mouth. The dainty student looked a startle question at Roseclere.

"Dark Pit knocked us out and brought us here. We're not exactly sure where we are, but we're trying to find a way out right now."

"What?!" Peach almost couldn't believe what her friend just told her. "Why he do such a thing?!"

"We're not sure, but now's not the time to wonder. We have to find the exit," Roseclere said quietly. Peach pushed herself off the floor with Captain Falcon's help. He held her steady as she regained her sense of balance. Once she did, she looked around as well.

"Wait…what about Shulk? Does he know?" she asked worriedly.

At the mention of their friend, Roseclere's face fell. By this time, it just might be too late for him. If the pattern had already repeated thrice, then it was only a matter of time before he would fall into the same trap and wind up here. If that were the case, then the three friends couldn't escape quite yet. They would have to find Shulk to escape together. Roseclere's expression was a clear answer to Peach's question. The blond woman covered her mouth in shock and fear. Her eyes began to water as she shook her head slowly. Roseclere quickly stepped towards her to hold her shoulders with her free hand.

"Peach! You have to calm down!"

Peach attempted to do so, but her shoulders continued to tremble. She felt that she was the one to blame as her friends planned this visit as a surprise for her. Now they found themselves in a weird place due to reasons unknown with possibly no way out. Although she was unaware of the dangers that lurked in the maze, Peach knew instinctively that all their lives were in danger. She could live with it if it was only her as it was her who wanted to visit the fortuneteller. However she had dragged her three dearest friends to suffer with her, something she would never dream of doing. It was almost too much for her. She shook her head again as big, round tears rolled down her pale cheeks. Roseclere was now at a lost on how to comfort her friend. As she racked her brains, Captain Falcon pulled Peach out of Roseclere's hold. He wrapped his arms around his crying friend. Though it caught the two females by surprise, they didn't say anything. Captain Falcon continued to hug Peach until her crying weakened to quiet sniffles. He then released her from his hug and stared right into her eyes.

"We're going to be fine, Peach," he said quietly. Perhaps it was his calm air that also calmed Peach. Or maybe it was the confidence in his words. Or, perhaps, just maybe…it was because Captain Falcon always managed to pull through the most challenging events of his life that encouraged Peach to be as brave as him.

The young woman nodded in response and wiped the tears away. She smiled in gratitude at Captain Falcon. She then looked over at Roseclere, "I'm sorry."

Roseclere waved away her apology, "It's all right, Peach. I understand. Let's just focus on getting out of here." She turned around to walk back the way they came when Captain Falcon's voice stopped her.

"Rose, wait! What's that?"

The albino woman turned back around, holding her candle before her. Her friends' backs were turned towards her in favor of the object of interest on the wall. Roseclere crept forward for a closer look. Peach gave her friend a surprise expression.

"It's Lady Palutena and Dark Pit," she pointed to the portrait on the wall. "And somebody else." Her tone left no doubt that that somebody else was what confused her. Roseclere examined the portrait. It looked like one of those that would have been painted during the Victorian era. Lady Palutena sat in a chair, leaning elegantly on a table. A smile graced her lips. Her son stood to the side of the table, a stern expression on his own face. Roseclere noted how even in the picture, Dark Pit still had his fake, black wings.

But that wasn't what was shocking. What was shocking was the second boy that stood to the right of Lady Palutena closer to her. He was almost the splitting image of Dark Pit, yet there were glaring contrasts. His hair was brown, not black, his eyes blue, not red. Even his clothes contrasted Dark Pit's, it being noticeably lighter and whiter. Roseclere started slightly when she realized that even the unknown boy had wings, only his were white. No matter how much she thought about it, the only thing Roseclere could come up with was that that boy was Dark Pit's twin.

"Is that Dark Pit's brother?" Captain Falcon asked no one in particular. Roseclere shook her head in uncertainty.

"I…I don't know…"

"Look!" Peach pointed to the bottom of the portrait. The three friends peered at the golden inscription closely, Roseclere drawing in her candle to make it brighter. "Lights Out. Smiley face," Peach read. The moment the words left her lips all candles immediately extinguished, including their source of light. Even Captain Falcon couldn't resist adding his shocked voice to his friends' crescendo. They blindly leapt backwards, only to stare in horror at the glowing portrait.

The twin's eyes beamed a strange yellow glow straight forward, as if looking at someone. Terror paralyzed the three friends as they continued to stare dumbly at it. The beams began to move as if searching, and that galvanized Roseclere into action.

"Run!" she shrieked as she turned to sprint away, notes of certainty mixed with fear. She had no doubt that her friends would be able to catch up to her. Her terrified voice snapped her two frozen friends out of their trance. Captain Falcon and Peach raced after their friend. Peach never dreamed of the day that Roseclere would be able to outrun her. Though they were both quite fast, their albino friend kept ahead.

"What's going on?!" Peach cried to Captain Falcon, breathing hard to speak at a loud volume.

"I don't know!" Captain Falcon replied. Yet he had a hunch about what was happening. As if to confirm his suspicions, a loud rumbling roar echoed all around them. The petrifying sound only served to urge the three friends to run faster. The monster that Roseclere wanted to hide from Captain Falcon finally revealed itself. And it was chasing after them. The whole place seemed to shake with each step the creature took, making Captain Falcon believe that it was larger than he perceived it to be. He gave into the temptation of looking behind for a moment, slowing him down in the process. He started when the only sign that the monster was really after them were the beams of light chasing after them. Yet those rays kept steady, notifying the young man that the monster haven't let them off the hook. Another earth-shattering roar caused Captain Falcon to face forward again and pick up his speed.

Roseclere ignored the trail marks she had been making for herself with the melted wax. Instead she ran blindly with only one purpose in mind, to get as far away as she could from the unspeakable creature. She twisted and turned with the walls in her attempt to lose the monster. She resisted the temptation to look behind her, knowing that that would only slow her down. Roseclere never wanted to see that monster again. The first time, it was only a miracle that she managed to get away. The young woman remembered how her limbs almost froze at the sight of it before she was able to tear her eyes away and run in the opposite direction. Yet she still hoped that her friends were able to follow her, or else they would be in danger of separation. In the situation at hand, separated friends only made the predator's hunt to capture its prey easier. It was a frail hope, hope it was still there.

She turned another corner, a long hallway greeting her. No other route opposed the solid, soft walls, giving her no choice but to run down. Roseclere tried to suppress the fear that this might be a dead end. She sensed that she was drawing near to the end, the terror threatening to stop her movements with every step. She heaved a relieved sigh at the sight of a black door. The hope that the room beyond would offer sanctuary for them drove away the fear that the door before would lock them out. Roseclere threw herself at the door, her hands gripping the knob desperately.

Her heart skipped a beat, and sheer joy filled her chest when she felt the door give way. Roseclere flung the door open and rushed inside. She gestured quickly to her friends, her frantic eyes speaking the volumes of fear. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" she shrieked. Her body almost froze when she saw the creature's eye rays right behind her friends but she urged her mind to remain vigilant.

Captain Falcon dug into his secret reserves and pulled off an impressive burst of speed that rivaled their school's track star. He zoomed into the room, his skidding stop comically screeched like a car's tires. He looked back to see Peach desperately panting for breath. He cupped his hands around his mouth, "Come on, Peach! You can do it!" His heart almost stopped when he saw her trip over an unseen object. Just their luck to have something pulled out of a movie's ass to happen to them now¸ he thought bitterly. Before he could move, to his surprise, Roseclere rushed towards her fallen friend. Captain Falcon snapped out of his shock to race behind.

"Don't! Save yourselves!" Peach sobbed when she realized what her friends were doing. Though she couldn't deny the hope that they would save her, she knew that because of her, all of them could die at that moment. She wouldn't want to die now, but she would learn to deal with it. If her friends died trying to bring her to safety, she would never be able to forgive herself. Despite her pleas, Roseclere reached her quickly. She pulled Peach up to her feet and hobbled back towards the room. The glimmer of hope that they would make it died when she felt something hot on her back. Peach realized fearfully that the light beams from the monster landed on her back, indicating that he was near. They wouldn't make it, she thought dully. And it was all her fault.

Captain Falcon thought otherwise. When he reached them, he grabbed Roseclere's candle stand and pushed his friends towards the room.

"What are you doing?!" Roseclere's surprised voice hissed. Her friend ignored her. He faced the creature with determined lines set in his face. He gripped the candle stand tightly and threateningly in his hands. Once the two students reached the room, they turned back just in time to see the monster land right in front of Captain Falcon. Roseclere started forward, only to be pulled back by Peach. "Douglas!" the cry strangled from her choking throat.

The creature's head twitched as it stared at Captain Falcon. The light shining from its eyes prevented Captain Falcon from seeing it without blinding himself in the process. Yet he could just make out its skeleton figure and the shiny flesh that pulsed from multiple cracks. For some reason, the monster reminded the young man of something very familiar, something that he saw many of in his life. He didn't have the time to ponder about it as the creature brought down razor claws on him.

Captain Falcon barely brought the candle stand up to block the blow, yet he didn't anticipate the second blow to come so quickly. The creature's other hand slammed him away, sliding him towards the room. The young man grunted in pain at the car-splitting blow. He forced himself to stand up. Blood dripped from his side where the claws reached him. The moment he regained his feet, the monster was already upon him. It roared fiercely in his face.

"Holy shit!" Captain Falcon swore. On instinct, he swung the candle stand with all his might. It slammed into the creature's head, knocking it to the side with a rumbling grunt. Captain Falcon felt the jarring force in his hands and saw that the blow had bent his weapon out of shape. He realized a little belatedly that their predator was dazed. He took that moment to limp towards the room, his friends' terrified voices urging him on. From the rustling sound behind him and the increased volumes of their shouts, Captain Falcon knew the creature was back on its feet. The thought of facing that thing again spurred him to hobble faster. The familiar rumbling sound almost breathed on the back of his neck, and at that moment, he thought the monster was about to kill him. His heart nearly skipped another beat when his feet passed the boundary. Roseclere and Peach smashed the door shut, both leaning their body weight in hopes that the monster wouldn't be able to crash through. They gave a shout of surprise when they felt the door thump menacingly underneath them, as if the creature was trying to break in. Captain Falcon quickly lend his own weight on the door.

The monster banged once more. After a tense moment, it faded away. The pants of the three friends filled the apprehensive air. Roseclere pulled free a hand and clicked the door lock. Only then did they fall backwards in exhaustion. The rushing blood pounded in their ears from the adrenaline of it all. Each agreed silently that if they made it out here alive, none of them were going to do something like this ever again. While her friends replaced their lost oxygen, Roseclere examined the room. It looked almost identical to the room they found Peach in. The only difference was that the hourglass and the portrait were replaced with a round, wooden table with a red telephone patiently waiting for the three friends to use it.

* * *

 **Am I rushing this? ...Yes I am...**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shulk covered his mouth in horror and stumbled back in his chair. He made choking noises as he continued to stare at the now headless Lady Palutena. After what seemed like hours, he found the courage and strength to stand from his chair and hurry towards the exit for his escape. Thrusting his hands upon the handles, Shulk pulled with more force than was usually required. To his horror, the doors stood fast. Dark Pit must have locked it behind him when he had left! Equal amounts of fury and fear rose in Shulk's mind, but the terror began to take a firmer hold of the young man. Concern almost choked him when he thought about his friends. If the fortuneteller was dead the whole time, then what did Dark Pit do with his friends? What happened to his friends? Why did Dark Pit even lead them here? His pounding heart echoed in his ears as his mind searched frantically for an answer, despite it being unwanted deep down. The questions continued to bombard him until he finally took a deep breath to calm himself down. Shulk knew that in this situation, panic was the enemy and that composure was his ally. He couldn't run around like a headless chicken. He had to formulate a plan to get him, and his friends, if possible, out of here.

Shulk avoided looking at the decapitated woman as he began to search for a different exit. There was no such thing. At that thought, he had to inhale deeply to stop his rising panic again. There had to be another way out. There just had to, he whispered to himself. He felt the walls, disgust rising in his mind at how soft they felt. It was almost as if he was touching jelly that gave way with the slightest finger and pulsed in protest at the way it was being handled. As much as Shulk wanted to throw up right on the spot from the walls and woman, he bit his tongue lightly to hold it in. He continued to feel his way around, moving in a full circle until he was right on the fortuneteller's right side, and his fingers finally touched something that obviously was not wall from the hardness of it. Shulk's heart leapt as he outlined the rectangular shape of a door. Red like the walls around it, it blended in perfectly to deceive strangers that the door behind them was the only entrance and exit.

Though there were no knobs, Shulk still clutched onto the small hope that burned in such a despairing situation. He leaned against the hard door and pushed. The flicker of hope began to die when the door wouldn't give way. He tried to push even harder yet it still wouldn't budge. Hope gave way to fear as Shulk began to pound at the door desperately. He pounded everywhere on that door, the center, the corners, anywhere he could reach for. His fear of losing the right to live so early in his life caused him to shout in indignation and slam on the door even harder. His common sense deserted him when he began screaming meaningless words, words nobody was certainly going to hear.

"Help! Somebody! Help me! Let me out of here! Please! Help!"

Shulk continued to smash his fist on the hard wall. He shouted another word in desperation. Even as a deep voice told him there was no escape, the young man wasn't giving up easily. He just kept pounding away, ignoring the abuse on the wall.

The wall gave way. He yelped in surprise as it flipped forward, causing him to fall into the secret room. Before he could recover, the hidden door spun once and knocked him right inside before sliding to a stop. He rubbed his cheek where he had landed. Shulk then shook his head to clear the pain as he groggily stood up. The inky blackness wrapped around him, as if to comfort him. He blinked in reflex before realizing that the darkness had completed enveloped his vision, preventing him from seeing no more than an inch in front of him. Shulk reached his hands outward to feel nothing but chilly air and empty space. He surmised that he had entered another long hall similar to the one that Dark Pit had led him through. He then stretched his hands to the side. To his disgust, the walls surrounding him were as soft as the ones in the fortuneteller's room. Something about the material just made him want to wash his hands a thousand times and he could only satisfy that brief moment of mysophobia by wiping his hands on his shirt. The young man made a mental note not to lean to close to either side of the walls. He dreaded the moment when he would have to turn to continue.

Time a wasting, Shulk slowly moved forward. He was beginning the hate the silence that always seemed to accompany the house. It wouldn't leave him alone, and any attempts to dispel it were quickly proven futile. The carpet prevented even the comforting claps of his feet from reassuring him that there were any signs of life here. It continued to bug him, nip at his heels, and generally get on his nerves. Shulk never realized how much he missed the chatter of his friends until now. He found himself praying that they would be all right. Though he tried to convince himself that they were all right, he couldn't stop that little voice of doubt from planting that heinous seed.

He finally reached the turn. Much to his dismay, it was actually a fork. Dark Pit was graciously allowing the young man to take destiny into his own hands and decide his course. For some reason, Shulk didn't like that one bit. It was almost as if the fortuneteller's son was taunting him, pointing out that everything that happened was Shulk's fault and not Dark Pit's. He had the choice, and it just happened to be the unfavorable one. Shulk gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger before reminding himself to calm down. Blind anger in this situation would do more harm than good. He had to keep a leveled head if he wanted to get out of here alive.

"Should I turn left or…?"

Shulk quickly went right without much thought. He didn't want to second-guess himself and get into more trouble, if that was even possible. The right hall was just as long as the central, making Shulk wondered whether Dark Pit had an obsession with long halls. It really was becoming a nuisance having to walk all the way down one way in order to walk down another even longer way. The muteness didn't help at all.

Eventually, he came to a dead end. Shulk cursed quietly at the lack of light as he rubbed his sore nose. His blind eyes looked at the wall up and down. Unlike the usual walls, this one was hard. The young man traced his hands over until his left landed on a familiar object. Shulk took a deep breath to calm his screaming nerves. Be calm…be calm…and you would react accordingly. Giving the knob a twist, he pushed the door open so abruptly that anybody on the other side wouldn't be able to react in time.

If there was anybody in the room in the first place. Shulk blinked his eyes rapidly from the sudden, dim glow of a single candle. The darkness lightened somewhat from it, and the young man could barely make out the contents of the room. While one side was extremely messy with clothes spewed about from a vacuum cleaner on the red car-framed bed, the other side starkly contrasted it with a neatly made blue car-framed bed and clean desk. Toys were scattered on the carpeted floor, and Shulk noticed how two identical closets stood on either side of the door like sentries. Judging from the contents of the room, the young man surmised that this must be a child and their sibling's room, both most likely boys. Strangely, there seemed to be no other possible light source with the candle marking the middle of the room. Shulk cautiously stepped inside, every muscle in his body tensed and ready to bolt should the time demand it. His heart skipped a beat when his foot stepped on something hard. Shulk reared backwards, almost out of balance, but regained it quickly before he could make sort of noise that notified Dark Pit. He peered at the ground to see what almost gave him a heart attack. Expecting to see something grotesque, he breathed a sigh of relief when only a toy car greeted him. He nudged it towards the messier side of the room to avoid stepping on it again. The rolling wheels were stopped abruptly by a white, balled-up shirt.

Careful not to step on anything else, Shulk walked towards the lone candle. Though it was dim, it provided sufficient enough light to let Shulk get a sense of his bearings. He leaned down to pick it up. As he straightened, the fire flashed fangs at him. The young man shouted in surprise and fear, falling back to land on his rump. Thankfully he retained his hold on the candle or else he would have added "fire" to his list of anxiety. His heart pulsing in his head exactly one hundred and eighty-four beats per minute, Shulk's eyes desperately scanned the thing in front of him. He shuddered when the light reflected off of a pair of jagged fangs openly posed before him ready to bite him, yet his fortunate rational mind told him that if it had wanted to bite him, it would have done so by now. Shulk was able to look past it and see that it was an extremely realistic model of a raven with snake-like fangs. He wondered why he didn't notice it before, but the bird's eyes were glowing two beams of light pointed above him. Shulk knew he shouldn't have any more fear regarding that, yet it continued to creep him out.

"It's okay. It's just a bird with teeth," Shulk's voice sounded abnormally magnified in the tense silence as he tried to reassure himself. He stood up cautiously, keeping the candle in front of him just in case the raven model had second thoughts. He had to admit that the idea of adding snake fangs to a bird was a bit unusual. Little teeth along the beak was fine, but two long fangs? It made a weird-looking saber tooth bird.

He was about to leave when something gray barely stood out from the raven's black beak. Rolled up with a red rubber band, it quietly rested right in the curve of the beak, as if waiting for somebody to get it. The young man stared at it, regretting his natural curiosity. Though he wanted to leave as soon as possible, the item had bewitched him and tempted him with its puzzling contents. His curiosity finally got the better of him and he grabbed the newspaper. On an impulse Shulk yanked his hand backwards, only to find that his fears were true as the raven suddenly clamped its mouth shut. If the situation at hand was not at all spooky and terrifying, then he would have been able to see that the raven actually waited until his hand was clear of its beak before closing. Yet rationale and logic had abandoned the young man the moment he and his friends stepped into the house. He backed away from the raven and rushed out the door, making a note to himself that once he got back on the fork and headed straight, behind him was a dead-end leading to the freakish saber tooth raven that automatically closed its mouth.

The door closed soundlessly behind him as Shulk worked to keep his breathing under control. He didn't realize that he was actually crushing the newspaper in his hand until he looked at it. The young man forced himself to relax, yet the newspaper retained its unfortunate wrinkles. It was still legible though, and Shulk struggled to pull the rubber band free without dropping his candle. He didn't know why he was spending so much time examining this newspaper when he should have been examining a way out. However, he convinced himself that perhaps it contained some type of clue. That would explain why the raven shut its mouth so suddenly. He finally pulled the rubber band out, tucking the elastic thing away in one of his pockets, the idea of littering still an enigma to him.

The inquisitiveness shouting at him to hurry it up, Shulk forced himself to slow down. He unfurled the newspaper, making sure that there was enough light for him to see. The small flame flickered from the movement but it held on. Shulk blinked at the contents of the newspaper. Headlines screamed, "CATASTROPHIC CARWRECK!" in bold, dark letters. Beneath it a picture displayed a red car folded in half by the black truck behind it against a store wall. The truck's cargo had overturned, blocking the street and injuring more people. A couple of fires broke out, spreading to the light poles in the parking lot. The picture was strangely detailed as the truck driver leaned back in his chair, a horrified expression on his wide-eyed face. The driver of the red car still sat in her seat with his hands still on the wheel. Yet, small as she was, Shulk could still see her squashed body with a rogue pipe splicing clean through her skull. The young man had to blink when the photo seemed to play tricks on him by deceiving him the dripping blood from the dead woman. Shulk was about to throw the newspaper down to avoid looking at it anymore when something else caught his eye. He peered at the wall and noticed something strange about it. The portion where the red car had crashed seemed to be darker than the surrounding area, spreading to a larger area than Shulk thought impossible for a car accident such as this. There were also two small things that stuck out from the wreckage. Though Shulk should have given up at that point, he just couldn't. After he found those two strange things, he knew that he had to know what they were. He couldn't help it. Shulk scrutinized the photo even more. Realization finally hit him harder than Captain Falcon's football tackle.

His sweaty hands trembled as his mind raced at the recognition of a little child's appendages dully sticking out from the crash site. He wasn't sure why this frightened him so considering it happened eleven years ago according to the date on the headlines. The newspaper didn't even belong to any company around here. Shulk found himself wondering whether Dark Pit had any relationships at all with the dead child in the picture. At that thought, the young man remembered his current situation. He quickly rolled up the newspaper again and tucked it away in case he needed to read more. He had a feeling that it was an important clue to something.

Though his candle held little light, it was enough for Shulk to see the walls on either side of him. For some reason, he found the walls to be a bit closer to him than he would have liked. He was quite sure that they were far enough for two people to walk abreast before. Now there was only room for a person and a little to walk side by side. The thought that he was perhaps in a different hallway struck him, but Shulk quickly shook that notion away. That should be impossible considering how he came out the exact way he came in. The silence he hated to become accustomed to didn't help at all.

The young man waved the candle around in case there were other sights that he had missed in the darkness to greet him. Thankfully for him, there were none. Despite that he unknowingly held his breath until something caught his attention and reminded him to breath.

More like something caught his ears. Shulk strained his ears, certain that there was a slight sound in the air. On an impulse he turned around, stretching out his candle to stare down the way he came. He stood still to actually allow the silence this time to do its job. Ironically this time it heartedly refused and graciously rewarded Shulk's kindness with just the slightest change in the air. Shulk tilted his head in an effort to catch the sounds. There was something…something…ticking? Or was it rumbling? The young man didn't know how he jumped from ticking to rumbling, but that was what his ears told him. He strained them further. Shulk looked back in the direction he headed towards initially. It seemed that it was coming from there as if beckoning him to continue his journey. Inhaling deeply to calm his tensed nerves, Shulk started onwards.

With every step he took, the noise just kept getting louder. Strangely enough, as it got louder, the young man had the notion that it was also getting more distorted the closer he got. Maybe the whole Halloween horror was getting to him, but Shulk thought that he could hear laughter mixed in with the strange ticking and rumbling as well. He felt like when he and his friends got out of here, they would need extremely long therapy sessions.

The unearthly noise got to the point where Shulk had to plug his ears in a futile attempt to block it out. However, as he was holding his candle in one hand, he could only plug one ear, and even then he still heard the horrendous ticking…or was it rumbling? He quickly shook that thought away, reminding himself that he had far more important things to worry about.

Shulk soon reached the end of the hall. No doubt about it, the disorienting sound was coming from the small crack of the door. Light streamed out, perhaps hinting that somebody might be inside. However now that the young man had arrived, the seed of doubt in his mind made him hesitate from finding out what was making the sound. He wasn't sure what to expect nor was he sure that he was going to even want to know. After a moment of fighting with himself, Shulk finally crept towards the crack and looked inside.

The room was nearly identical to the fortuneteller's room that Shulk was so familiar with. It was quite unnerving for the young man to see so many similar rooms, as if that was the only design that Dark Pit was willing to use for his house. Yet instead of a table this room held a large bed with silk curtains. Shulk couldn't see who it was due to Dark Pit sitting in his line of vision of the person's face, and it was difficult to judge the person's legs as the fortuneteller's son had covered it up with a blanket. The only other future the room held was a round table with the familiar golden hourglass. However he paid no attention to that as he was fixated on the winged back of the plotter.

Dark Pit showed no signs that he noticed his spy as he continued to hum and do whatever he was doing to his victim. One arm held still while the other waved back and forth with a needle between his fingers. Shulk started when he recognized the sewing motion. He knew that it was common to sew a wound, but Dark Pit's actions so far could never hold any relation to the medical method Shulk thought of in his mind right now. He could only imagine what the black-winged boy was doing to his victim. Was he sewing their eyes together? Their mouths closed? Their ears to their foreheads? Shulk didn't want to know. Panic rose in his mind as he knew he had to get out of here before Dark Pit discovered him and do whatever he wanted with the young man. He began to back away from the door quietly.

"There. You're finally done," he heard Dark Pit say triumphantly. Shulk cursed his natural curiosity for what seemed like the thirteenth time that day. He wished he could have resisted the urge to spy one more time. If Fate had been so kind, then Shulk wouldn't have gotten caught. He stopped in mid-step, reversing it so that he moved forward again. He peered through the cracks as his heart pulsed at a sonic rate with the blood rushing through his mind.

The fortuneteller's son turned towards the table with the hourglass and placed his sewing materials there. As he turned, Shulk could now see part of Dark Pit's victim. He strained his eyes against the dim light and bright darkness to learn the person's identity. The face was still covered by Dark Pit's body. However, the golden locks and the dainty hands was more than enough evidence for Shulk. His shock caused him to gasp loudly. He barely registered the fact that Dark Pit whirled around quickly towards the door. In Dark Pit's turn, Shulk was able to recognize Peach's head for the briefest moment. Her eyes and mouth had been sewn shut. A stich ring similar to Lady Palutena's wrapped around the girl's neck.

The shock of seeing his friend in that state finally diminished enough for Shulk to realize that Dark Pit was staring at him with lividity. The thought that Shulk had just ruined Dark Pit's efforts to have everything go off in a hinge passed through the young man's mind. For some reason, though he took satisfaction in annoying Dark Pit even for a swift moment, Shulk felt a heart-clutching fear when staring into the fortuneteller's eyes. He was almost paralyzed with the terror he felt. Those red eyes, so like a snake's, almost hypnotized the young man into becoming the perfect prey. It was only until Dark Pit moved towards the door was Shulk galvanized into action. The young man slammed the door shut behind him. He debated looking for something to barricade the one thing that stood between him and a madman. Unfortunately that may have been the reason why Dark Pit kept the house so empty. After a quick scan of his surroundings with little success of a reliable item, Shulk turned tail and ran backwards. As he got farther and farther away, he was conscious of a knocking sound that seemed to echo all around him, teasing him that somebody insane was right behind him and waiting for an opportune moment to catch him. The high school student passed the fleshy walls without much thought of where he was going. The panic in his mind heightened when he realized that if he went back the way he came, then he was truly trapped with two dead-ends. There was no way of escaping, but Shulk still had to try anyways.

If only he was able to stop and think about the situation logically. If he had, perhaps he may have realized that once he exited the child's room, he never came upon the old fork in the road that led him to that place in the first place. He just kept walking straight until he discovered Dark Pit's horrendous deed. And now he was running straight to escape the black-winged boy.

Until he came to a four-way intersection. A single traffic light blinked wearily, quickly changing from green to yellow. Shulk paid no such attention to the yellow shifting into red to stop the young man from going any farther. Without weighing his options, he turned left. The knocking seemed to have gotten closer, urging Shulk gather his strength and sprint away. He could just feel Dark Pit breathing on his neck, the paranoia of the fortuneteller's son soon overtaking him almost overwhelming him. Chills kept shivering down his spine, and he paid no attention to his rapidly-tiring legs' pleas to slow down and rest. The young man just kept panting for breath in order to escape from his predator. The walls themselves seemed to be panting for breath as well as they rumbled and shook. Or perhaps that was just his imagination. Shulk didn't know anymore.

The exhaustion was getting to his mind as he headed straight at another fork in the road. He barely thought about his actions now. Only the thought of getting away drummed at Shulk's head. It was the only thing that kept him going without the need of direction and logic in navigating a stranger's house that seemed to shift and change with every step. He stumbled over his own feet, crying out in surprise and fear. He frantically regained his balance before continuing to tear towards a possible sanctuary.

Shulk cried out again, this time in absolute relief. The sight of a mahogany door came into view faster and faster. The sudden discovery of the safety room brought great hope to the poor student's mind and spurred him to dig even deeper in an effort to get away. His burst of speed almost made him slam into the door. Fortunately Shulk skidded to a stop just in time to grab the doorknob with a maddening desperation. He nearly ripped the knob away from the door as he yanked it open. Without so much as a look inside, the young man rushed in and smashed the door shut. He leaned against the door, sliding down to sit and finally rest on the floor. The silence broke with the panting breaths of the exhausted student. Shulk wiped the sweat from his brow and relinquished his tight grip on the candle stand, the flame long gone from the winds of his escape. The candle stand rolled a few feet before slowing to a stop. After a few moments of regaining the lost oxygen, the young man finally shook his head. He couldn't believe it. He absolutely couldn't believe that Peach was dead. There was just no way. Maybe it was a puppet that was made to look like her. However, he didn't buy his own explanation. Tears prickled his eyes from the sorrow that one of his oldest friends was dead. His whole body tensed up when he had that thought. Peach was the last of his friends to visit the fortuneteller. Did that mean...? No! It couldn't be! Roseclere and Captain Falcon...they couldn't be dead as well! Shulk felt a choking sob rise in his throat. Hugging his knees to his chest, the young man buried his face into his knees to hide his sorrow from any spying eyes. He could care less about Dark Pit finding him now.

Yet something stopped him from just wallowing in his sorrow. Shulk knew that even though he didn't really care anymore, deep down, he also knew that his friends wouldn't want him to fall into the same fate that befell him. He had to pull himself together to get through this. He just had to. If his friends couldn't, then the least he could do was escape from this fucking hellhole and bring Dark Pit to justice for revenge. Shulk wiped the tears from his eyes and he finally glanced around the room to see exactly where his mad dash landed him.

Again, the total outline of the room was identical to the other rooms of the fortuneteller Shulk has been to. Luckily there was ample light for him to just make things out. There were only two furniture that decorated the room, a single box pushed against the far wall and a portrait just above that box. Shulk's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the picture. He pushed himself off the ground to get a better look. He had no idea that it was the exact same picture that his friends had found. He noted the same similarities his friends had between Dark Pit and his lookalike. Like Roseclere, the only conclusion he could come to was that the second boy was Dark Pit's twin. When he found himself wondering what became of Dark Pit's twin, Shulk felt a chill down his spine when he thought he had the answer. He glanced worriedly at the newspaper that he still had, a sinking feeling in his stomach. The young man looked back up at the picture before finally tearing his eyes away.

The box below the portrait caught his attention next. It was rectangular, a little shorter in length than Shulk's height. Black in color, the white feather on top greatly contrasted the melancholic air that surrounded it. He wasn't sure what drew him to it, but he froze when he saw his hand suddenly reach into view. Unconsciously his curiosity was forcing him to open up the box and see what was inside. Shulk grabbed his outstretched hand with his other hand, as if his curious hand was possessed by something. His inquisitiveness had already gotten him in enough trouble. He didn't want to risk another run-in with Lord-knows-what. The young man retracted both hands, still staring at the box just in case something popped out to surprise. It stayed quiet.

His focus still on the box, Shulk jumped a few inches in the air when he heard something ringing. His heart skipped multiple beats from the surprising sound. The young man searched the room for the source of that sound. Though he wanted to ignore it considering what happened the last time he investigated a strange noise, he couldn't help but still scan the area. To his right he saw a portion of the wall that the sound seemed to be coming from. On closer inspection Shulk realized that it was actually another door. The reason he didn't notice it once he went into the room was that it blended in quite well with the crimson, soft walls.

Even after what seemed appropriate for the ringing to stop, it just kept ringing. Shulk wasn't sure whether he preferred the creepy silence or the annoying ringing, but at the moment, he would take chilling silence over the irritating ringing. He plugged his ears, yet he could still hear it. If anything it seemed to have gotten louder. Shulk sighed in frustration when he knew he had to go and see what was making that noise to shut it off. He started forward before stopping when he saw the candle stand. It was only until he picked it up again did Shulk move towards the camouflaged door. He yanked it rapidly, revealing another room.

The young man cautiously stepped into the room, the candle stand ready to hit any attackers. Fortunately for him, there was nobody in the room. Shulk lowered his hand with no immediate danger presented. Besides the sight of the room was more than enough to surprise him once again.

A long table held multiple red phones. While a couple were on standby, a few phones were knocked from their stands and lay upright on the table. The ringing sound came from one of the knocked phones. On an impulse and need to connect with technology again, Shulk moved towards the ringing phone. His hand grasped it and held it to his ear. The moment he did, the ringing finally stopped.

"Hello?" he asked. He felt a bit silly as he wasn't even sure if somebody was going to answer. The silliness gave way to fear when he wasn't sure who or what was going to answer.

"Hello?" somebody asked back. Shulk almost couldn't believe his ears. Tears almost threatened to fall again as he pushed against the table in an effort to hold himself back up from the overwhelming feeling that overtook him.

His voice croaked but it was still recognizable, "Roseclere?! Oh Lord, is that you?!"

* * *

 **Eh? What? How is Peach dead when she was clearly alive in the chapter before? Uh...stuff...and things...and...mind...games...almost done, guys. Bear with my story a bit longer.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Shulk?! Oh my god! Shulk! Where are you?!" Roseclere's panicked voice desperately asked through the phone. Shulk gripped it tightly. The joy he felt on hearing his friend's voice after believing her to be dead was almost too overwhelming. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes again. He wiped them just in case and took a deep breath in an effort not to sound so choked up with relief.

"I'm still in the house! Where are you?! Is Captain Falcon with you?!"

"I'm right here!" the masculine voice was unmistakable, yet it didn't come from the phone Shulk had in his hand. No, it came from a different one, the phone right next to Shulk's. He seized it with eagerness as he placed it to his ear.

"Captain Falcon?"

"Shulk, I'm here too!"

The young man froze when he heard that voice. Was…was it possible? Was Peach still alive?! Like Captian Falcon's voice, hers wasn't in any of the phones Shulk held now. Peach's voice came from the phone to the side of Roseclere's. The amount of phones Shulk realized he had to hold just to hear his friends was ridiculous. Two was bad enough, but three? Despite his slight aggravation, he tried his best to juggle the third phone with the second. He held Captain Falcon's with his shoulder while he continued to clutch onto Roseclere's and Peach's. He was about to rebuke them for using so many different phones when he assumed that they were in the same place. However, he had to solve another mystery first.

"Peach? You're still alive?!"

Confusion was clear in her voice as she replied, "Of course, I'm still alive. You thought I died?"

"Yes!" Shulk cried. "I saw Dark Pit sewing up your body!"

"What?! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Peach has been with us this whole time," Roseclere muttered. "Maybe Dark Pit was just using a lookalike."

"As if he wasn't creepy enough already," Shulk heard Captain Falcon insult bitterly. Shulk's mind raced at the possibilities. That seemed more logical than Peach being dead and the Peach on the phone was a decoy. That simple thought suddenly planted a new seed of doubt in his head. What if Dark Pit wanted him to think that his friends were still alive? What if the voices he was listening to were all fakes? Shulk wanted to push that thought away, but it continued to bug him until he knew he had to do something to ease his mind.

"Now it's Shulk time!" he suddenly said. He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping for the best.

"It's time to tip the scales, you mean!" Roseclere instantly responded back.

"Show me your moves!" Shulk could imagine Captain Falcon posing. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until Peach chimed in.

"Sweet!"

Shulk let out a huge sigh of relief. So they were real. Since they've been friends since children, Captain Falcon had the idea to make up a "secret code" just for fun. Initially, Roseclere was against that as she found no practical use for it. Shulk was extremely glad that they still use those codes up to this day. It really helped them out this time.

"You didn't think we were real?" Captain Falcon asked, the hurt clear in his voice.

The blonde student was about to shake his head before he changed his mind to nod, even though he knew that they couldn't see him. He shifted his shoulders to wiggle the phone back in place.

"Sorry. I started doubting myself," Shulk paused to shift the phones around. At that, he was reminded of his earlier annoyance. "Why are you guys all using different phones?" Shulk asked bitterly. "Aren't you all in the same place?"

"Huh? We are using the same phone," Roseclere said.

"Yeah," chimed Peach's phone. "This is the only phone we could find here!" Of course Shulk found that to be odd. If they were using the same phone, then why did three different phones received it? His arms tiring out and his shoulder giving way, Shulk finally placed the three phones on the table to make things easier for himself. He leaned in to talk into Roseclere's phone.

"Where are you guys right now?"

"I don't know. We had to go through a maze to get into this room. There's nothing in here but this phone and some candles."

"A maze…" at that word, Shulk realized something that had been bugging him in the back of his mind. Dark Pit's whole house was like a maze! He couldn't believe that he didn't realize that before! He never came back to the fork in the road that he first entered upon. And when he exited that first room, he only went forward towards Dark Pit's room. After Dark Pit started chasing him, Shulk remembered how there were suddenly more twists and turns than he thought possible. If that was the case, then perhaps he would be able to find his friends! They'd be able to get out of this alive! "We're going to get out of here. You guys stay there, and I'll come find you!"

"No! Don't, Shulk!" Peach's voice was higher in pitch than normal, the fear clear. Shulk actually flinched in surprise at that.

"Why not?"

"You can't go out there alone! There's a monster here! It's what trapped us inside this room!" Captain Falcon explained.

Roseclere added her bit quietly, "Besides, Shulk. I don't think we're in the same place…" Yet Shulk didn't hear her statement. His mind raced at the mentioning of a monster. He hadn't seen any monsters yet, unless you count the one that trapped them in here the first place. If there really was a monster lurking about, then they were in terrible danger indeed. He wracked his brains for some sort of solution to their problem. The only thing he could really come up with was threatening Dark Pit. However Shulk knew that the boy wasn't normal. When normal and not-normal clashed, more often than not the not-normal won. There was no other way about it. It seemed obvious which way the route of threatening Dark Pit would go.

The young man clenched his fists tightly, ignoring the stinging pain he started to feel in a short time. He hated how he felt absolutely helpless in this situation. After finding his friends again, only to have more bad news come his way, was almost too much for Shulk to bear. He had to find a way. He just had to find a way to get all of them out of here alive.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard some thumping. His friends heard it as well as Peach gave a slight shriek of terror. Yet Shulk wasn't sure whether it came from the door behind him or from the phones on the table. The thumping got louder until it echoed in the friends' ears, an extremely stark contrast to the silence that plagued them hours before. Shulk looked behind him fearfully, half expecting Dark Pit to suddenly burst into the room. The sound did seemed like it was coming from there. Yet the young man could also hear it from the phones. Shulk wasn't sure where the pounding's true location was anymore. His heart sank when he heard Roseclere's petrified whisper.

"Guys…when did that hourglass get here?"

"What hourglass?" Shulk asked instinctively. Only the dreadful thumping sound answered him. "Guys? Guys?! What's going on?!" he strained his ears for any sort of answer. "Guys! Can you hear…" the young man's voice trailed off as his eyes stared at the hourglass that somehow appeared in his closed room. His eyes followed the sand trickling down through neck of the time-keeping device. Only a little bit of the red sand was left when he heard Captain Falcon's voice cry out:

"Rose, what does that mean?!"

"I don't know! I don't know anymore!"

Their panicked voices suggested to Shulk that their hourglass had ran out of sand. The moment he had that thought, the pounding suddenly stopped. For some reason, Shulk didn't want the sound to stop. The relentless pounding meant that whatever was outside was still struggling to get inside and has not yet succeeded. The silence held too much suspense for the friends to take. Shulk opened his mouth to speak when screams from the phones almost blasted his ears. Almost in answer to the screams, a resounding roar reverberated. Shulk flinched in surprise before clutching for the phones desperately.

"Rose? Rose?! Peach! Falcon! Anybody! Are you there?! What's going on?!" he shouted hysterically into the phones. Only the shrieks of his friends greeted him, which only made him scream for their safety even more. He didn't notice the candles lighting the room flickering slightly as a small breeze fluttered by. It was only until he heard a familiar voice did he stop shouting.

"It's no use, Shulk. They can't escape," Dark Pit calmly said as he closed the door to the exit. The young man whirled around, glaring right at the culprit who plotted the whole thing. The familiar flame of anger flared in Shulk's chest as he bitterly thought that they wouldn't be in this mess right now if they had never accepted Dark Pit's invitation. He hated that no matter how he looked at it, they were all to blame, but him the most. He was the one who wanted to really see Lady Palutena and decided to confront the fortuneteller's son in granting them permission. Dark Pit only stared back, yet Shulk could see his mouth twitching slightly, as if threatening to smile.

Shulk took a step forward, "What did you do to them?!"

"Do?" Dark Pit tilted his head to the side. His blank expression only served to fuel Shulk's anger. He raised a fist in a threatening manner. He took another step forward, hands inching to throttle the fortuneteller's son in front of him. However Dark Pit showed no signs of cowardice as he leaned against the door, his hands behind his back. If anything, the light in his eyes mocked the young man before him repeatedly, laughed at him, scorned at him.

"Yes! What did you do to them?!"

"What?" Dark Pit repeated. He tapped a hand to his chin before his blank expression. "Ah! Of course!" a wicked smile crossed his face as he pointed to his head. "Why…I simply gave them a new place to live."

"What are you talking about?" Shulk asked, caught slightly off-guard by the strange answer. New place to live? What did that even me-?

Dark Pit moved his hands forward. As he did, Shulk saw that the boy was holding something. Even before the fortuneteller's son tossed it onto the ground in front of him, Shulk felt the choking sobs in his throat. The body fell limply. Its sewn eyes stared blindly at the young man, its stitched mouth unable to utter a single word. The ring of stitching was all too familiar to Shulk as he numbly kneeled before the dead figure.

"Captain Falcon's a lot better when he's quiet, isn't he?" Dark Pit asked maliciously. The shock of seeing one of his oldest friends like this almost paralyzed Shulk. He could only stare at the limp figure in sobbing silence, tears dripping onto the cold body. He didn't even notice that Dark Pit had moved towards him until the hissing of steel alerted him. On instinct, Shulk rolled to the side, barely dodging the bloody knife that Dark Pit utilized in order to decapitate him. He jumped to his feet, staring fearfully at the fortuneteller's son. The winged boy cursed loudly as he struggled to free his knife from the carpet. He had put in a lot of strength in that swing in order to see the blood fly freely. Shulk had no weapons on him but was still tempted to try and kill Dark Pit. His mind raced with possible ways of killing the plotter, maybe by cracking his skull on the table or suffocating him. Yet Shulk shivered at the thought of taking another's life. He knew that he just couldn't do it, even if the situation demanded it. Besides, weaponless as he was, the young man had a feeling that Dark Pit actually knew how to use a knife in combat situations. Even if he didn't, Shulk doubted that he could fight against somebody armed and calculating.

His final decision was to run. Run and hope that Dark Pit wouldn't be able to find him. Shulk turned and sprinted away. Before he heard the door slam shut behind him, he heard a satisfied grunt from Dark Pit. The realization that the winged boy had just freed his knife spurred the young man on. He had to get out of this damned house. He had to find the exit. He just had to. It was his only hope of surviving the whole ordeal.

The house twisted and turned on itself in an effort to dissuade Shulk's escape. However, the young man continued to press forward. Whenever he came to a dead end, he simply turned around and went back the other way. He had no time to berate himself for such stupid decisions. His lungs and legs screamed at him to stop, yet Shulk urged them to push forward, for the sake of his life. At times, exhaustion would overtake him and cause him to fall against the disgustingly soft walls. Each time he did, the walls shrunk and bounced, as if trying to get him off of them, which he did gladly. Shulk couldn't stand the sensation of touching those walls. The dim lights of the candles didn't help him find his way either. Nor did the whispering voices that echoed in the hallway help ease his nerves. The young man felt that after each turn, Dark Pit would be waiting to pounce on him. The quick relief every time he saw that his fears weren't true quickly transition back to pure terror at the endless pathways. Shulk just ran blindingly on false hope that he would make it out alive.

Coming upon a door, Shulk threw himself on it and opened it with clawing desperation. To his genuine surprise and relief, he stumbled into the waiting room that he and his friends occupied previous hours ago. He looked around desperately for the exit. He sprinted towards it the moment he saw it. As Shulk opened that door and dashed inside, he heard a different door close behind him. Convinced that Dark Pit was catching up, Shulk pleaded with his body to bear with him a few moments longer. They were almost there! They were almost free of this hellhole! Once he got out, Shulk promised himself he would see Dark Pit behind bars for the murders he committed.

The blood pounded at his head as he dashed down the hall. Shulk sped up when he thought he heard Dark Pit closing the door, signaling that he was in the hall as well. The young man almost sobbed in relief when he saw the door leading to the outside just in front of him. He greedily clamped his hands on the doorknob and turned.

Only to remember in petrified shock that Dark Pit had locked it at the very beginning. Shulk sobbed when the last hope that he was getting out alive was crushed brutally by a simple lock. He pounded at the door desperately, tearful shouts screaming for help from anybody. He could hear Dark Pit's footsteps slowly and painfully getting closer. His resounding pounds only sped up and grew more frantic.

To his obvious surprise, the door suddenly flew open. Shulk fell forward from the momentum, falling onto the porch of the house. He scrambled to his feet. Dark Pit's footsteps were no longer slow; they sped up once he realized that his prey was getting away. But Shulk wasn't going to let him catch him. Digging deep, he raced down the porch and across the lawn. The footsteps behind him seemed to be getting closer, much to Shulk's horror. Without looking at both sides of the street, Shulk dashed across.

Then the darkness of the night around him seemed to have become brighter. Shulk stopped instinctively like a deer, his hand shielding his eyes from the bright headlights. Paralyzed by shock and fear, the young man could only stand frozen as the car charged and honked its horn at him.

"Pit! No!"

That was the last thing Shulk heard before he blacked out.

…

A small figure hauled something into a house. Without acknowledging how beautifully the moon lit the night, the boy closed the door shut. He continued to drag the limp body behind him through the twists and turns of his house. He soon came upon a room, opened the door, and entered the dim place. Only a few candles lit the room. If anybody attempted to do what the boy was going to do in so little light, mistakes would have been made for sure and caused major damage. However, Dark Pit had done this many times before. He could do it with his eyes shut.

He gently placed Shulk on top of the table in the middle of the room. He had no need to use the straps installed specifically for antsy patients. The car had knocked the young man truly out-cold.

Dark Pit's eyes flashed menacingly when he thought about the car just speeding towards Shulk. It was a good thing he showed the man driving it no mercy. If there was less people like that in the world, then the world would truly be a better place. The fortuneteller's son placed a small box of sewing equipment on the table and unsheathed his dagger. He began to sharpen it on the stone grinder. Originally, he didn't plan to give Shulk a clean cut, but after the car crashed into him, Dark Pit could at least grant him that.

Thanks to the flickering flames, light flashed from the gleaming knife as Dark Pit examined it. He poked it with his finger, smiling slightly when the slightest cut allowed blood to drip. He turned back to the young man unconscious on the table. Holding the weapon casually in his hand, Dark Pit placed his free hand on Shulk's chest to steady him.

He swiftly brought the dagger down, amazingly slashing through the bone like a hot knife through butter. Shulk didn't react to the blood that seeped right through. Dark Pit himself barely reacted to the large amounts of blood fountaining as he tossed the knife to the side and immediately grabbed his box. He felt the soul floating away and sped his movements. If he wanted to keep the soul here, then he had to hurry before it disappeared for good. Picking out a ready needle, he started to sew Shulk's decapitated head back to his body. Every time the needle bit into the skin and connected the two separate beings together, the fortuneteller's son felt the soul quieting down. It was only until he finished reconnecting the head to the body by a lovely black thread did Dark Pit relax his tense muscles. He placed his bloody needle on the table next to the dead body. A painful migraine agonized his head, making him lean against the table and hold his head up. Dark Pit shook his head as he muttered to himself quietly. He waited until the headache passed before looking at the still figure before him. Dark Pit waited in the calming silence, seemingly wondering what to do now that he fulfilled his four purposes. It was only until the sands of the hourglass drained to the bottom that he finally stood up. Picking up his needle, Dark Pit then sewed Shulk's mouth closed. Soon the young man lost the ability to speak, even if he was miraculously revived.

The fortuneteller's son looked at his red needle in disgust and moved to wash it. As he did, he noticed something sticking from the folds of Shulk's pockets. Black and worn, Dark Pit recognized it as the newspaper. He stared at it silently and accusingly despite it not responding to his hate. He wondered for the eighty-sixth time why he chose to keep it well it constantly argued with him that it was his fault everything happened. And for the eighty-sixth time he told himself the answer. Because he couldn't bring himself to destroy it. Every time he attempted to do so, the picture of his decapitated brother always stopped him. Dark Pit always made out his arms and legs but never his head. The headless body always accused him of his inability to save Pit. But then the cheerful voice in his head told him not to worry about it, that it wasn't his fault, that Pit was still alive thanks to him.

Dark Pit grabbed the newspaper from Shulk's pocket to put away later. He looked back at his victim. Since Shulk saw it, he guessed that he couldn't sew his eyes closed now. Dark Pit was done for the year. He began cleaning up, noting to himself that he still had to wash his stained needle. He moved everything to the side to grab the limp body. Carrying it over his back, Dark Pit moved to a different room swiftly. He reached the room in no time despite the occasional headaches along the way. He shook his head ruefully; even trapped as a spirit, Shulk refused to give up. So many different personalities clashing in his mind, sometimes he questioned why he even did this at all. Yet his mind quickly reset, allowing him to ignore that until next time, perhaps when he had a little more personality to use.

Unlike the other rooms, this one had no furniture at all. Or maybe it did, but the darkness made it too difficult to see. Dark Pit carefully made his way inside, stepping with precaution to avoid leaving a bad marking on Roseclere's beautiful coat. He placed Shulk's body next to hers so that their arms were touching. Dark Pit straightened and observed his collection so far. It was nice, but he realized that he was missing Captain Falcon. He remembered that he had shown the student to Shulk and moved to retrieve the body to put it away. As he turned to leave, his eyes lingered on one body dressed in white. Unlike the other bodies in the room, this one had no head. Dark Pit stared for a brief moment, then left the room. This Halloween had been quite productive, judging from the screams in his head. He was having a headache again.

* * *

 **...even I don't really know what happened nor what I was really trying to convey...oh wait...yes, I do.**


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

The first holiday the students looked forward to after the first month of high school (depending on how early they started) was Halloween. That bitter sweet day of scares and cavities raked in plenty of business for those stores that chose to participate in such dealings and decorate their surroundings with skulls and pumpkins made to give little children nightmares and fear going into the stores at all. Link leaned back in his chair as he stared disinterestedly out the window. He snorted in derision at the sight of his fellow students floundering around in costumes for the spirit of Halloween. In all honesty, he didn't understand the real meaning of it. Sure, it was a great way to get free candy, but was that all there really is to it? Was there more to just getting scared and eating sweets? His sharp ears picked up the sound of rapid footsteps from his side that slowed to a stop, almost as if it disappeared into thin air.

The quick hand slapped on his shoulders, sweet giggle rang in his ears, and sparkling eyes peered at his face. Link coolly raised an eyebrow at his friend, whose smile quickly turned upside down.

"I didn't scare you?" Rosalina asked as she pulled out the chair behind her to sit down. Link turned away from the window, shaking his head in amusement.

"I heard you a mile away."

"Liar," was his friend's immediate reply. Their other friend, William, couldn't help but chuckle at that. Samus looked up from fiddling with her gun from her bounty hunter costume and slightly smiled in amusement.

"Maybe you should try a much stealthier approach, Rose. That way, he wouldn't catch you."

"I've already tried that. It didn't work," Rosalina replied. She retracted her hand and sat in the chair next to Link. The young man turned around to face his friends. She looked pointedly at him, "You're going to go trick-or-treating with us tonight, right, Link?"

The young man hesitated. They always went trick-or-treating together every year. Or more like Rosalina, Samus, and William trick-or-treated while Link chaperoned, especially when they accidentally got drunk that one time. Luckily, nobody found out. However, for this year, Link wanted to do something a bit more special for Rosalina's favorite holiday considering how this was the last high school year they will be together. He wondered whether that thing he had planned was acceptable as a fortuneteller's services in a small town such as this was in quite high demand. He was about to answer when a loud thump caught their immediate attentions.

The four friends looked up just as the last member of their group hurried through the door before the bell rang to signal the end of sleep. A few feathers drifted from the boy's white wings, though he didn't seem to take notice of it at all. His laurel crown was slightly eschewed, but he paid it no heed as he slid into his seat close by to the other four. Once seated, he smoothed down his white tunic that completed his cupid costume. William chuckled again at the sight of his friend's breathlessness.

"Maybe you should lay off the sweets, Dark Pit. That way, you wouldn't get so tired from running late all the time," the athlete suggested. Dark Pit waved away his friend's suggestion as he continued to gulp lungful amounts of air. Samus passed a water bottle to him, who accepted it gratefully. Link waited until Dark Pit was sighing in relief for his aching leg muscles to rest from their long run. Then he spoke up.

"So, Dark Pit, you set up an appointment for us with your mom, right?"

His friends looked at him in surprise. Link had originally made no pretense of his dislike for the occult, so it was only natural that they believed him to be under the bad influence of a disease or insanity when he confessed that he actually talked to Dark Pit about a much valued visit to the fortuneteller.

The angel grinned as he flashed a thumbs-up. "Yeah. She agreed to read your fortunes tonight."

"Tonight? But it's Halloween! We're supposed to be trick-or-treating!" Rosalina protested. She frowned at that. Wasn't the timing just awful! She did wanted to get her fortune told by a clairvoyant that was as famous as Lady Palutena. However, the tradition of their trick-or-treating stuck with her and she hated to see that little custom of spending time getting candy with her friends go to waste even for one year. Dark Pit gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'm moving soon," Dark Pit reminded. "And Lady Palutena's fortune-reading is usually more accurate on Halloween. If we don't go tonight, then I can't promise you guys a chance to see her." Rosalina had to pout at that. She twiddled and stared at her thumbs in thought. Her friends watched her toss the ideas around her head. Would she pick to continue their tradition of trick-or-treating? Or would she seize the once-in-a-lifetime chance of possibly knowing her future and allowing her friends to know theirs?

She finally sighed. A warm grin lightened her face, "Let's go to Lady Palutena's tonight then. It couldn't hurt to skip trick-or-treating one year."

"If anything, we can go trick-or-treating afterwards," William reassured. "So we'll still be able to do both things. You don't have to worry about giving up the tradition, Rosalina."

At that, Rosalina's smile seemed to brighten. Her happiness was infectious; the five friends all smiled at each other. Dark Pit opened his mouth to say something, but much to their dismay, the teacher soon came in, causing them to disperse. As Dark Pit walked past Link's desk towards his own in the front, the angel frowned slightly. Link watched as his friend's frown quickly turned upside down in a strange grin.

"Oh, Shulk…" Link's sharp ears picked up, "It's no use trying to warn them. I'm in control." The young man's smile faltered when he heard that. He found himself questioning what that strange statement meant. It sounded like Dark Pit was talking to himself, but somehow, the young man didn't think that was true. Who was this Shulk person? Why did he sounded so…familiar? Did he see that name somewhere? In a newspaper, or on TV perhaps? Link didn't realize that he was staring at the back of Dark Pit's head until blue orbs similar to his own stared right back. He visibly flinched in surprise. For some reason, the smile on Dark Pit's face sent chills down Link's spine. Never before had he seen that smile on his friend's face, and he found himself wishing that his friend would never smile like that ever again. Like a candle that flickered out, Dark Pit slid his eyes away from Link's petrified gaze. Link didn't realize that he was holding his breath up until that point, exhaling softly.

The fortuneteller's son himself faced forward again. He chuckled silently to himself. Though his eyes were staring at the board, his mind was in an absolute array of chaos as the four friends he initially had continued to run away from his brother's monster. Truthfully, he was quite impressed with their process. He didn't know that they would be able to last this long. If they were able to last until tonight, then that would be both impressive and beneficial on their part. Dark Pit simply couldn't wait for tonight to come so he could add more souls to his collection. Who knew? Maybe one of these days, they might be able to escape his mind.

He almost couldn't hold in his laughter when he heard Shulk shout obscenities at him. Unlike the previous times where he refused to answer the trapped student's curses, Dark Pit did answer him back this time. He silently chuckled, "My name's not Dark Pit, Shulk. It's Pit."

* * *

 **THE END! Confusing? Yeah, me too. Somewhere, I got lost myself and I'm all like, "Uh...what just happened? What was the point of this again?" This ending definitely opens up to a possible prequel, which I'm still debating whether I should do or not. Like I said before, busy, busy, busy.**

 **Anyways, like I said before, I was going to go with "The Monster Under My Bed is Moving", which actually focuses on the backstory of Dark Pit and how this came to be. But of course, I changed it. Why? I don't know. I drew a bit of inspiration for my monster from the Wendigos of _Until Dawn_. Great game, wish I could have played it. But I watched Markiplier play it and that was good enough. Oh his rages...**

 **In case you guys didn't understand, the premise of the story was that the soul of the human body resides in the head. Kill the body in any way and the soul gets freed, but decapitation is the best. I then added in how if you reattach the head to the body, the freed soul would be tricked into thinking it could go back to its original body, which, of course, couldn't be done. And all it takes is for a stronger (or emptier) will to take over, and bing-bang-boom! You're trapped in a sick mind. So why did Dark Pit do these things? Yeah, something happened along the way and I forgot. *shrugs* Oh well!**

 **Did you guys think the part when they started saying their taunts were random? Yeah, I thought so too, but how else would Shulk know that he was talking with his real friends? Besides, we all made secret codes when we were younger, right? Anybody? No? Just me? Okay...**

 **Aaaaaannnddddd, somehow Shulk kinda became the main protagonist out of all of them...I don't know how, but something happened. I honestly don't know. That's my only real excuse. Something happened. SOMETHING HAPPENED, and then the plot just began to focus on Shulk...DID YOU FEEL IT, SHULK? HUH? DID YOU FEEL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING I MADE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS GO THROUGH?! HERH?WELL, YOU SHOULD HAVE!**

 **Characters I used: Peach, F!Robin, Shulk, Captain Falcon, Dark Pit, Pit, Lady Palutena, Link, Rosalina, Samus, M!Wii Fit Trainer. Huh...this isn't as much as my other multi-chaptered stories...**

 **Anyways, this isn't the best thing I churned out for a contest, but I'm sticking with it. Might as well after writing about the "silence that plagued the four friends constantly throughout the story to create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere" over and over and over again. There are obviously better Halloween stories out there, but this is the best I could do for the moment as I'm suffering over here in college. Yeah...I tried to avoid cliché things, but that obviously resulted into something that even I have difficulty comprehending. I'm really sorry for the quality just dropping faster than Fox in the air. I'll do better next time. For my competitors out there, good luck and may the best writer win!**


End file.
